Pro-Palestinian student protesters set up camp at U of T

Pro-Palestinian protesters moved onto a greenspace at the University of Toronto's downtown campus overnight Thursday, as the Israel-Hamas war nears its seven-month mark.

The group erected tents in King's College Circle, an area that was fenced off in anticipation of potential demonstrations as students at universities throughout North America have established their own protest encampments.

Some of those protests, such as at Columbia University in New York City and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have been the scenes of violence between demonstrators of various stripes and police.

In a statement, student protestors at U of T said they are calling on the post-secondary institution to divest from assets that "sustain Israeli apartheid, occupation and illegal settlement of Palestine."

The students say the university's administration has ignored their concerns despite earlier demonstrations and attempts to engage.

Earlier this week, administrators said in a campus-wide email that students "involved in unauthorized activities or conduct that contravenes University policies or the law may be subject to consequences.

"U of T's lands and buildings are private property, though the University allows wide public access to them for authorized activities. Unauthorized activities such as encampments or the occupation of University buildings are considered trespassing," the email said.

More to come.