Student group sets up pro-Palestinian protest on University of Windsor campus

A student coalition set up a pro-Palestinian protest in front of the University of Windsor's Dillon Hall on Thursday afternoon, calling on the university to boycott and divest money from Israel.

About a dozen people were on site Thursday afternoon, and campus police were present at a distance.

"Business cannot continue as usual," said Jana Jandal Alrifai. "We stand here in solidarity students across the world calling for the same thing: our money and our education cannot and should not fund the death of Palestinians."

Organizers say they chose a spot in front of Dillon Hall as it is "in the heart of campus."

Jandal Alrifai said the student coalition that comprises the protest is calling on the university to "disclose, defend, divest, demand and support."

"What that really means is that we need transparency in financial leanings of the University of Windsor. We need them to take to all of their money out ... that they invest in all of these funds ... and then to also provide support for students," said Jandal Alrifai. "We need their unequivocal statement, the condemning the genocide of the Palestinians, condemning Israeli occupation. And then we need their support."

Some University of Windsor students and faculty protested in support of boycotts, divestment and sanctions in front of the university's Dillon Hall on May 9, 2024. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

The International Court of Justice is investigating whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza, with any ruling expected to take years. Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused the court of bias.

CBC News has not verified what investments the university has, but according to research shared by the protest group, the pension fund has investments in equity funds that include companies the author accuses of profiting from "Israeli military industries and Illegal occupation."

The companies mentioned include big Canadian banks and tech companies like Google-parent Alphabet and Microsoft.

Vasanthi Venkatesh is an associate professor in the university's faculty of law. She says that "as faculty of a university, we consider ourselves to have an obligation to to educate and organize for human rights."

"We do consider it our duty, in fact, as academics to to talk about this horrendous obliteration of humanity that's happening in this world that anybody with a heart should be reacting to. But there is a complicity from our government, from our university and of course, from all the powers that be in this world," Venkatesh said.

Venkatesh says the university's faculty association made a motion recently asking the university to divest the faculty pension fund and to end relationships with Israeli universities. She says she would also like to see a program for Palestinian scholars who are at risk.

Vasanthi Venkatesh is an associate professor of law at the University of Windsor. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

"We do think it's very important that the University of Windsor especially takes a stand because they have taken a moral stand before on these issues," she said, referring to the university divesting during South African apartheid.

In a statement the university said it was aware of the protest and "is working to ensure well-being, learning, and safety."

"The university upholds freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, aligning with our academic mission and commitment to health and safety," a statement from the university's office of public affairs said. "The university prioritizes a campus culture that fosters the sharing of diverse perspectives and critical thinking.

Campus police were present at a distance while students at the University of Windsor protested for boycott, divestment and sanctions. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

"We encourage all members of the university community to engage with one another respectfully and empathetically at all times."

CBC News has followed up to ask the university to comment on the protesters' calls for the university to divest funds from causes and companies related to Israel.

The protest joins other encampments set up over the last three weeks on campuses across Canada and the United States, including Montreal's McGill and Toronto's Metropolitan universities, the University of British Columbia and University of Toronto.