Since late April, Universities around the world have become a flashpoint for protests against the ongoing genocide being perpetrated in Palestine with students in Canada and the United States setting up encampments on campuses in the face of threats from counter-protestors, university administrators, and riot police alike.

It is fitting then, that during the May 10th Trent Board of Governors meeting, President Leo Groarke addressed some of the key issues in a brief statement which he told the Board had been “prepared very carefully.”

The statement was careful enough to not make any mention whatsoever of the ongoing bombings being perpetrated by Israel against Palestinian civilians which has resulted in the deaths of 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.

“We think it is important to open our board meeting with a comment on the current troubles in the Middle East and the protests at universities in the US, Canada, now Ontario, and indeed, around the world,” Groarke said. 

“We want to begin by expressing our empathy for all who have been affected by the current violence in the Middle East. We remain hopeful for a ceasefire endorsed by both sides, and for peace and prosperity,” he continued, noting that Trent takes seriously “freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas as pillars of our academic mission and key elements of a functioning democratic society.”

In conclusion, Groarke noted that “in these complex and difficult times, we remain committed to providing a safe and positive campus experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors in an environment that is free from violence and harassment.”

The statement made no mention of specific details or the exact reasoning behind the protests, namely institutional divestment from Israel, nor did Groarke mention the sometimes violent removal of students from university property both in the United States and Canada at the behest of university administrators, as was the case at the University of Calgary last week and the University of Alberta this past weekend.

The actions taken against protestors at both these institutions has been characterized by some legal scholars as an infringement on the students’ constitutional rights while member’s of Alberta’s NDP opposition have also condemned both the police actions and Premier Danielle Smith’s support for police intervention. 

A statement from NDP Critic for Justice Irfan Sabir and Advanced Education Critic, Rhiannon Hoyle, called the incidents “attacks on democracy” and an example of “a distressing erosion of Alberta students’ rights.”

“The police response to peaceful student demonstrations at the University of Alberta appears completely disproportionate to student actions. It is unacceptable that student protest is treated as a public safety issue, especially in the wake of a similarly excessive response at the University of Calgary,” the statement read. 

Meanwhile, McGill University has sought an injunction to clear the protestors from their campus after an earlier injunction request from students, in which the university was listed as an “interested party” rather than a plaintiff , failed.

On Monday morning, another encampment was being set up at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) both in support of the McGill protest and the larger aims of divestment at the university.

In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford has made it clear that he believes that “the university has to move these people along” citing the encampment at the University of Toronto and suggesting that “we all need to work together.” 

“I’m a strong believer of freedom of speech but some of the stuff that’s happening, and some of what I’ve seen and heard, is unacceptable,” Ford told reporters last week without citing any specific examples.

While the encampment continues at the University of Toronto, the Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association (TFA) recently voted in support of a motion which expressly states its support for academic freedom and solidarity with Palestine. 

In a May 6th press release, the TFA states that it has voted to establish a faculty committee which is dedicated to three main pillars which include an audit of of the university’s current investments, divestment “from companies linked to genocide, human rights violations, occupation, and apartheid in Israel” and a review “with a view to ending, TMU’s cooperation with Israeli academic and cultural institutions.” 

At the national level, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) released a statement condemning institutions who had resorted to police involvement in clearing campus protests.

“CAUT policy emphasizes that police and campus security services must never be used to constrain academic freedom, free expression or peaceful assembly. The police should be permitted to intervene on campus only where there is a clear and imminent threat of violence, violation of criminal law by an assembly, or a serious violation of the rights of others,” the statement reads in part.

Additionally, the CAUT points to the “obligation” of university and college leaders to “to defend expressive freedoms and the autonomy of their institutions” adding that “they fail in that duty when they capitulate to political and donor pressure to silence debate.”

In a statement to Arthur regarding existing investments or collaborations with Israel, Trent University’s communications department noted that none exist “to their knowledge” at this time while a collaboration between the biomaterials program and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem “ended nearly a decade ago.”

Concerning current institutional investments, Trent’s statement read that they are “managed on behalf of the University by external investment managers.” 

“Alongside the Board’s primary fiduciary responsibility to ensure financial stability and optimal return on investment, Trent and our investment managers believe strongly in Environmental Social Governance (ESG)-driven investing,” Trent’s statement continued while not providing specifics.

Internationally, Canada abstained from a vote at the United Nations assembly to grant membership to the State of Palestine which took place on May 10th. 

Speaking in Kelowna, B.C. on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explained that Canada’s abstention during the vote, which passed with a large majority, signals his government’s shift in belief and that the recognition of a Palestinian state could now occur before the process of establishing a two-state solution. 

The reasoning, Trudeau explained, is due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s having “unacceptably closed the door on any path towards a two-state solution.”

Meanwhile, Trudeau added that “Hamas continues to govern as a terrorist organization in Gaza” and likewise does not recognize the State of Israel, a point which he called “also unacceptable” in the wake of the UN vote.

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With files from Evan Robins.