As students filtered into UBC on March 24 and 25 they were met with the booming chants — and at times songs — of pro-Palestine protesters.
On March 17, the student-proposed referendum asking the AMS to endorse a two-day strike to demand UBC divest from companies students say are complicit in Palestinian human rights violations passed with 7,917 students (76 per cent of 11,365 voters) in favour of the action.
On March 18, Israel broke a two-month ceasefire that began on January 19. According to the UN Human Rights Office, Israel has resumed “indiscriminate” airstrikes and ground operations. Recently, a United Nations-appointed independent expert said “Israel’s conduct … amounts to a genocidal campaign to erase Palestinians as a people.”
Once the referendum passed, many organizations posted in solidarity with the strike. On March 22, the AMS sent out an email encouraging students “to participate if they are able to” in the protests. Many other organizations, such as SPHR McGill,Sprouts, the UBC Women’s Centre and the UBC Trans Coalition endorsed the strike through Instagram posts.
In a March 19 statement on the strike, UBC Provost Gage Averill wrote that “these [strike] actions are not sanctioned by the university.”
“We recognize that the conflict and violence in Israel, Gaza and neighbouring regions is an issue of deep concern for many in our community,” the statement continued. “Protest actions must remain peaceful, respectful, and within the boundaries of UBC policies and the law.”
Despite Campus Security at times actively restricting The Ubyssey’s press freedom, we reported on the events that occurred across the two days. What follows is our summary of those events.
Day one — UBC Bus Loop occupation
For the Monday strike, a collaborative Instagram post by @palestinestrikeactionubc, @ubcencampemnt and @ubcstaff4pal, among other groups, detailed a “STRIKE DAY SCHEDULE.” As per the outline, upwards of 80 protesters gathered at MacInnes Field around 10 a.m. to hear an opening speech.
“University funds should not be used to uphold the manufacture of weapons used against precious and sacred human Palestinian life,” one speaker said. “University funds should not be used to subsidize the wholesale murder of over 100,000 Palestinian people.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7, 2023 attack.
Despite the on-and-off rain, around 11:30 a.m. the protesters occupied the UBC Bus Loop, walking in a continuous circle with a drum beat punctuating their steps. Some protesters waved Palestinian flags while others banged pots or carried banners.
By 12:00 p.m, there were upwards of 120 protesters circulating the bus loop. The protesters cycled through chants of “UBC, 99, you are the picket line,” and “Did you know that UBC refuses to say the word ‘genocide.’”
In the responses the university has provided — such as in UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon’s May 7, 2024 address to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and in the aforementioned March 19 statement — UBC has consistently used the word “conflict” instead of “genocide.”
Multiple Campus Security, Transit Police, RCMP and VPD officers stationed themselves at or nearby the bus loop.
During the protest, one student protester — who was walking through the crossing area — was bumped by an RCMP car. The protester appeared uninjured by the bump, and the RCMP car sped away as protesters yelled after it.
Around 2:40 p.m, protesters left the bus loop and headed toward Koerner Library — where Bacon’s office is located.
In front of the library, protesters read aloud speeches, poems and issued more chants before concluding the first day of protest around 4 p.m.
Day two — Koerner Library occupation
For the second day of the strike, protesters began gathering in the lower area of the Nest around 11 a.m.
“UBC prefers to protect war criminals coming on campus for an Aquatic Center swimming event rather than protecting student safety, because UBC prefers to protect the feelings of its donors and lobbyists rather than caring about its values,” one speaker said.
On February 14, the swimming competitions of the Invictus Games were held at the UBC Aquatic Centre despite the opposition of many students and staff. A UBC staffer was also detained for mischief by the RCMP the morning of the competition. No charges were filed against the staffer.
Just before noon, one protester yelled that another group of protesters had occupied Koerner Library. Strike organizers seemed unaware of the other group’s plans, and in an Instagram post, @peoplesuniversityubc — a separate advocacy group — urged community members to “join [them] @ Koerner Library 6th floor” where UBC’s Finance & Operations office is located.
At 12 p.m the crowd marched from the Nest to the library. Upon reaching Koerner’s, Campus Security denied the protestors access. Ubyssey reporters, despite arriving at least seven minutes before the crowd and making themselves identifiable with bright blue vests with “PRESS” written across it, were also denied entry.
The Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) Guide to Legal Rights in Canada said freedom of expression includes “the right to transmit news and other information, but also to gather this information without undue government interference.” This includes attending protests in our capacity as journalists.
This violation of press freedom was not an isolated incident — The Ubyssey has been denied access into buildings to report on protests several times since 2024.
In a response to the library occupation and restriction of press, university spokesperson Thandi Fletcher wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey that “the building was temporarily closed and access was restricted to everyone — including media — for safety reasons.”
Koerner library was not evacuated, however, and students visibly remained studying inside.
Outside of the library, protesters chanted and banged on the library's doors to support those inside the building.
At 12:45 p.m, @peoplesuniversityubc protesters in the library were escorted out by Campus Security and RCMP officers. Strike organizers then read aloud @peoplesuniversityubc's letter addressed to Vice-President of Finance & Operations Frank Laezza, Investment Management Director Byron Thom and UBC Treasurer Yale Loh.
“We call on you to divest from all companies complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and the occupying Israeli apartheid state as financial officers for this university and governors of the university's endowment,” read the letter.
“This is a genocide, and through our investment, we are complicit. We refuse to be complicit.”
There was one RCMP car and multiple Campus Security officers present at Koerner Library during the occupation.
“Campus Security protocols have been in place to support peaceful protest while prioritizing the safety of all community members and the continuity of university operations,” Fletcher’s aforementioned statement additionally read.
“Campus Security contacted University RCMP to assist with the situation on both days; the decision to attend the scene was made by RCMP.”
After returning to the Nest, protesters continued their originally planned "Day of Community," listening to speeches and teach-ins by fellow protesters. The second and final day of the AMS-supported strike ended around 3 p.m.
Share this article
First online
