Students and community members in 麻豆精选 joined the Pro-Palestine movement unfolding at universities across Canada and the U.S. and have set up an encampment at the UBC Okanagan campus in May 2024.
The group in 麻豆精选 called UBCO 4 Palestine, gathered at 5 a.m. on May 13 in the UBCO Courtyard and set up tents, tables and signs. The group is calling on the University of British Columbia to divest from Israel鈥檚 鈥渙ccupation and genocide鈥� of Palestinians and to publicly condemn the ongoing violence.
The protests began after Israel鈥檚 response to an attack on civilians by a terrorist organization called Hamas on Oct 7. The assault by Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians in Israel and took more as captives. In response, Israel鈥檚 military has killed over 34,500 Palestinians living in Gaza.
Members of UBCO 4 Palestine requested to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from the public, the university and law enforcement. The group includes students, members of the public, and people from diverse backgrounds including people of Jewish heritage, Palestinian descent, immigrants, international students and Indigenous people.
On May 16, UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon issued an official statement saying 鈥淲e hope for a ceasefire and a lasting peaceful resolution in the Middle East.鈥� He furthered the statement by explaining that to remain respectful of the broad range of opinions held by students and faculty of the university, the academic institution must remain neutral.
Bacon also said that the UBC Endowment Fund does not directly own any stocks in the companies identified by the movement. However, he said a small percentage of university funds managed by external investment managers have been invested in companies that were named as being 鈥渃omplicit in Israel鈥檚 numerous violations of Palestinian human right,鈥� by the People鈥檚 University for Gaza.
After 46 days of protest, the encampment at UBC Okanagan concluded.
