Review praises University of Calgary response to pro-Palestinian protest encampment

December 19, 2024 Canuck

A third-party review by consulting firm MNP praises the University of Calgary’s response to a pro-Palestinian protest encampment that was set up on the campus earlier this year.

The review said the school’s decision to issue a trespass order and involve the Calgary Police Service was “deliberate, discussed, documented and agreed-upon.”

The university’s overall response process was “comprehensive” and “aligned with crisis management leading practices,” the MNP report said.

“The situation faced by the [university team] was difficult and unprecedented with, among other complexities, highly emotive geopolitics,” it said. “Overall, the university was well-prepared for the potential of an encampment.”

On the morning of May 9, a group of pro-Palestinian protestors began setting up camp near MacEwan Hall, with the goal of pressuring the university to disclose and divest its financial ties with Israel.

That night, Calgary police forcefully removed the protesters from the encampment using shields and batons.

Some protestors have been critical of the police officers’ use of force in clearing them from campus, and the university’s decision to call the police.

Calgary Police Service Chief Mark Neufeld has defended his officers’ actions.

In a letter sent to the Calgary Police Commission, he said protesters were “verbally advised that the camp was a trespass on university property” and they “grabbed officers’ shields and attempted to aggressively push them to the ground.”

Professor, Students’ Union not satisfied with review

A statement posted online by the University of Calgary Board of Governors Chair Mark Herman said the review focused on the actions and decision-making processes of the university’s crisis management team.

But University of Calgary Law Professor Jennifer Koshan said the review did not sufficiently consider the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

She said the review should have included analysis of how decisions made by the crisis team affected the constitutional rights of the protesters.

“I find the overall report problematic,” she said. “The report … doesn’t take the full context into account.”

“I would like to see the university take the Charter rights of protestors seriously and understand that it has to take a more contextual approach.”

University of Calgary Students’ Union president Ermia Rezaei-Afsah said he’s also not satisfied with the review, adding that many students are still upset about how the school responded to the encampment.

“The scope of this review was very narrow and … nothing in it came as a surprise,” he said.

“There is a large contingent of the student population that are not going to let this go … It’s going to affect relationships between the university and students and faculty for years and years to come.”

“Our goal right now is to try and move on, and I think we urge the university to try and do more on this.”

MNP declined to provide comment on the concerns raised by Koshan.

The University of Calgary declined an interview request from CBC News. Nor did it respond to a request for comment on the parameters of the review.

Police officers and protestors discuss breaking up a pro-Palestinian encampment. — Police and protest organizers discuss breaking up the pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Calgary campus. A third party review says the university was “well-prepared for the potential of an encampment” overall. (Jo Horwood/CBC)

Review recommends changes

The review does identify areas where it said the University of Calgary should look to make changes.

Among the suggestions is expanding crisis management training and awareness to more university employees.

MNP also recommends working on awareness of who is on campus “at any given time” so communication can happen quickly during a crisis.

And the consulting firm called for additional stakeholder mapping and identifying potential areas of concern for different constituency groups.

In a statement posted online, Herman, the U of C chair, said management has already started implementing the suggestions.

Alberta’s police watchdog ASIRT also investigated the encampment removal, but the Alberta government said in October injuries incurred by protestors did not meet the threshold of “serious injuries.”

The professional standards section of the CPS is also currently investigating complaints made against officers related to the removal of the protest camp.

In a statement, CPS said it takes the complaints seriously and is proceeding as expeditiously as possible.

Because each complaint is investigated on its own merits and circumstances, CPS said it could not provide a timeline for the investigations.

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