Pro-Palestinian protesters cleared from UBC intersection
Police have arrested one person during the clearance of pro-Palestinian protesters who were blocking a main intersection at the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver.
But there was no obvious move against a protest encampment that has occupied a sports field at the campus for a month.
A statement from the RCMP said the clearance involved officers from the University and Richmond detachments, RCMP critical response officers, Vancouver police and the B.C. Highway Patrol.
Police were called to the intersection of University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall where protesters were “impeding access” to the main entrance into the university. Demonstrators were given the opportunity to get off the road but police action was required to clear the intersection, the statement said. One person “did not comply with police direction” and was arrested.
The intersection was clear by 12:15 p.m. “The intersection has reopened to the public, however the RCMP will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary action should there be any criminal activities that pose a threat to the safety of individuals and/or property,” the RCMP statement said.
UBC said in a statement that the protest at the intersection had “created difficulties and traffic delays.”
“The safety and security of our community members and visitors remains our foremost priority. Any protest actions must be conducted with respect for others and within the boundaries of UBC policy and the law,” it said.
It added that graduation ceremonies were proceeding as scheduled.
Video posted shortly after 11 a.m. by an Instagram account associated with the protests showed dozens of uniformed officers walking down the main route into the university.
The account called “People’s University for Gaza at UBC” had earlier posted an update asking people to gather for a rally at the intersection.
Video provided by a protester who did not want to be identified showed RCMP officers standing over a woman sitting on the road, her hands behind her back.
A voice over a loudspeaker tells protesters: “This is the RCMP. You need to clear the area immediately or you will be under arrest.”
The protest occurred during spring graduation ceremonies at UBC that have been going on since last week.
After police cleared the road, a few dozen demonstrators marched across campus from the Rose Garden near the ceremonies to McInnes Field, the site of the protest encampment established April 29.