The RCMP began moving in on anti-Israel protesters disrupting the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus and surrounding area, including a hospital, at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The pro-Palestine encampment at UBC is one of many across Canada, including at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and McGill in Montreal. Universally, Hamas-supporting groups have called for divesting from companies associated with Israel and cutting ties from Israeli universities. .On Tuesday, agitators that call themselves People’s University for Gaza at UBC notified the school if administrators had until 8 a.m. the next morning to meet all their demands. Before 9 a.m. Wednesday, with their demands not met, the existing protest escalated. The group congregated on the major intersection of University Blvd. and Wesbrook Mall, which blocked bus routes and roadways leading to a nearby hospital. By 11:10 a.m., the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department moved in and began making arrests. Twenty minutes later, at least three arrests were made..The People’s University released a statement on social media Tuesday accusing UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon of acting in poor faith when he presented at the House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee on Monday.“He reiterated ex-President Santa Ono’s rejection of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and expressed continued opposition to it,” said the group. “He also spoke in favour of possibly adopting the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism, which has been widely criticized by scholars, academics and human rights groups globally for conflating legitimate criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism.”It said Bacon’s recent statements on Parliament Hill "have unequivocally affirmed his opposition to the BDS movement, which we see as a blatant disrespect of our demands." It added these actions have cast doubt among students, faculty, and community members about his sincerity on having conversations. “We believe our demands represent the minimum actions necessary in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza," it said. "Bacon’s statements in Parliament come a day after an Israeli strike hit Teh Al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, massacring 45 people — mostly women and children and some of whom were burnt alive.”As violence continues to escalate in Gaza, it said it "will continue to escalate our efforts. "Unlike the university, our concern is not our public image, but the lives lost and violence against Palestine facilitated by the capital and complicity of our institutions," it said. "We will not stop until Palestine is free.”.This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
The RCMP began moving in on anti-Israel protesters disrupting the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus and surrounding area, including a hospital, at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The pro-Palestine encampment at UBC is one of many across Canada, including at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and McGill in Montreal. Universally, Hamas-supporting groups have called for divesting from companies associated with Israel and cutting ties from Israeli universities. .On Tuesday, agitators that call themselves People’s University for Gaza at UBC notified the school if administrators had until 8 a.m. the next morning to meet all their demands. Before 9 a.m. Wednesday, with their demands not met, the existing protest escalated. The group congregated on the major intersection of University Blvd. and Wesbrook Mall, which blocked bus routes and roadways leading to a nearby hospital. By 11:10 a.m., the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department moved in and began making arrests. Twenty minutes later, at least three arrests were made..The People’s University released a statement on social media Tuesday accusing UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon of acting in poor faith when he presented at the House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee on Monday.“He reiterated ex-President Santa Ono’s rejection of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and expressed continued opposition to it,” said the group. “He also spoke in favour of possibly adopting the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition of antisemitism, which has been widely criticized by scholars, academics and human rights groups globally for conflating legitimate criticism of the state of Israel with antisemitism.”It said Bacon’s recent statements on Parliament Hill "have unequivocally affirmed his opposition to the BDS movement, which we see as a blatant disrespect of our demands." It added these actions have cast doubt among students, faculty, and community members about his sincerity on having conversations. “We believe our demands represent the minimum actions necessary in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza," it said. "Bacon’s statements in Parliament come a day after an Israeli strike hit Teh Al-Sultan refugee camp in Rafah, massacring 45 people — mostly women and children and some of whom were burnt alive.”As violence continues to escalate in Gaza, it said it "will continue to escalate our efforts. "Unlike the university, our concern is not our public image, but the lives lost and violence against Palestine facilitated by the capital and complicity of our institutions," it said. "We will not stop until Palestine is free.”.This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.