We all saw the wave of Palestine solidarity campus encampments coming miles ahead, and it's finally reached Victoria.
Sixty supporters of Palestine, chiefly University of Victoria students, pitched tents on campus in the Quad area, demanding the university foundation divest from corporations profiting from the genocide in Gaza.
The encampment joins a wave of university camps which started at Columbia University in New York last week, and quickly swept the United States from coast to coast. Multiple such encampments have been raised elsewhere in Canada, starting at McGill University in Montreal, but also at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver this Monday, and at the University of Ottawa yesterday.
Today is May Day, which has also been declared a strike day of solidarity with Palestine, so news of encampments came at no surprise. Indeed, on this same day, another was announced at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.
The protesters’ main demand is for the UVic Foundation to divest from weapon manufacturers and the corporations which invest in them. Among the list is Scotiabank, the single largest shareholder of Elbit Systems, whose ordnances have largely contributed to the death toll and devastation in Gaza. Another is BlackRock, which massively invests in more weapon manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin, which supplies parts for the F-35 fighter jet, along with lesser known companies such as Northtrop Grumman and General Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin in particular has an office in Esquimalt, and has been a repeated target of protests since October. The latest was in February, when a sizeable crowd of protesters shut down the facility for the day by locking out the staff for hours. Likewise, a group of thirty activists have shut down BC Pension Corporation’s office for the day a couple weeks ago over similar grievances.
The UVic encampment is supported by the Tzedek Collective, a group of Jews protesting Zionism. Organisers took the opportunity early on to remind the attendance the protest is aimed at Zionism, and that disrespectful behaviour toward visible minorities or disenfranchised people would not be tolerated. Every Palestine supporter is encouraged to join as long as they behave themselves by following sensible house rules meant to keep everyone safe and comfortable, such as not interacting with law enforcement or campus security, and of course not instigating potential Zionist counterprotesters.
Last, but not least: This is a high-risk protest. VicPD is already on the scene, albeit in small numbers. Law enforcement, agitators, and counterdemonstrators have massively showed up at other encampments, leading to violent altercations and crackdowns, notably at Columbia University last night. While Victoria is a far cry from New York, incidents are nevertheless to be expected, so brace yourselves. But don’t let that dissuade you from joining in! I myself will be attending as much as I can starting tonight. This is a make or break moment in this crisis, unseen since the Vietnam war, and we need everybody to show up in support. See you over there!
UPDATE 2024/05/02: I returned to the encampment yesterday afternoon and spent the night there. See below for details.
UPDATE 2024/05/03: Here’s more from last night and today.
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