Premier Doug Ford Calls for Removal of Pro-Palestinian Encampments from Universities Over Safety Concerns and Public Dissatisfaction

Premier Doug Ford asserts that universities must promptly remove pro-Palestinian encampments, emphasizing parental worries over campus safety and widespread public frustration with the protests.

Addressing reporters at Queen’s Park on Monday, Ford stated that schools must take action to relocate the encampments, pointing to ongoing protests, including one at the University of Toronto, which encompasses the Ontario legislature’s sprawling downtown campus.

“I’m getting messages from parents, and not just parents from the Jewish community — parents as a whole. Are my kids safe at university? Are they going to be harassed, are they going to be bullied? It’s unacceptable,” the premier said.

“We all need to work together. You want to protest, protest — but protest peacefully. No hate speech of any type for any culture, not just one.”

Ford expressed his strong aversion to hate speech, stating, ‘I can’t tolerate it. Some of the offensive content I’ve witnessed is unacceptable. I interact with more constituents than anyone else in this province, and they’ve had enough of it.’

The recent protests are the latest development in the ongoing seven-month conflict in the Middle East, initiated by a Hamas attack on October 7th. These protests have ignited a heated debate surrounding the boundaries of free speech and intimidation, as well as Canada’s ties to Israel amidst a conflict resulting in thousands of casualties and a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

While demonstrators claim to be protesting the actions of a foreign government, critics argue that these actions have frequently crossed into antisemitism within Canada.

At the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, tents were erected last week by protesters demanding the institution sever ties with Israel and divest from Israeli companies. The University of Ottawa is among other campuses targeted by demonstrators.

As summer school sessions begin and convocations draw near, the school has stated its commitment to collaborating with student representatives to tackle concerns regarding health and safety, sanitation, emergency procedures, public access, and language that is deemed threatening, hateful, or discriminatory.

Mohammad Yassin, a spokesperson for the encampment and a student at the University of Toronto, refuted claims of hate or violence, stating to The Canadian Press that such allegations are unfounded.

“People are walking around with their pets and their children,” he said. “There are people drawing art and reading books and sitting down in prayer circles, and that’s exactly what the space is supposed to be.”

At McGill, the persistent encampment has led Quebec Premier François Legault to advocate for police intervention.

Meanwhile, across the United States, numerous campus demonstrations have resulted in the arrest of hundreds of protesters.

Ford emphasized to reporters that public frustration with these events is mounting.

“We live in Ontario, peaceful Ontario — we all need to get along,” he said.