Calgary police forcibly dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Calgary campus May 9, using tear gas and flash bangs to bring the daylong demonstration to an end.
The majority of the pro-Palestinian protesters at the encampment agreed to gather their belongings and leave at the request of police, but a core group refused, police said. The use of “projectiles and assaultive behaviour” by the remaining protesters “triggered the use of non-lethal munitions by officers,” Calgary police said in a May 10 press release, adding that no injuries were reported. “Multiple opportunities were given throughout the course of the event for attendees to pack up and leave.”
The number of arrests, tickets, and charges will be announced on May 11, police said.More than 100 protesters had set up a tent camp near MacEwan Hall, calling for the university to divest itself from any investments linked to Israel. The demonstrators had been asked to leave and, when they refused, were issued a trespass order by University of Calgary staff.
