Students and academic staff will intervene in U of Ten camp hearing

TORONTO, June 6, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario (CFS-O) and the Center for Free Expression (CFE) have jointly been granted intervener status in the University of Toronto’s application for an injunction clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment on its main campus.

The three organizations will argue that if an injunction is granted, academic freedom and the Charter-protected right to freedom of expression will be violated. The hearings are scheduled for June 19 and 20.

University authorities are asking the court to authorize the forcible removal and arrest of peaceful protesters, arguing that the camp is causing irreparable harm to the university.

“Students have every right to participate in protests and political actions,” said Adaeze Mbalaja, president of CFS Ontario. “As the province’s student union, we remain unwavering in our commitment to defending these rights.”

“Universities and colleges are spaces created to support academic freedom and free speech,” said CAUT Executive Director David Robinson. “The University of Toronto must have a heavy burden to justify violations of Charter rights and academic freedom.”

“It is disturbing when the university seeks to use the courts and the police to suppress the Charter-protected free speech rights of students, staff and faculty – rights they exercise peacefully, which does not in any serious way impede the work of the university,” he said James L. Turk, CFE director.

In a notice of violation issued on May 24, the university threatened academic staff with dismissal if they did not leave the camp. U of T subsequently changed its position, stating on its website that “faculty members who fail to comply with the notice will not be terminated.”

Last month, CAUT issued two statements defending the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly on college and university campuses and calling on administrations to respect these rights.

For more information please contact:

Elizabeth Berman, CAUT, 613-400-1633, [email protected]