Pro-Palestinian student movement arrives on Sask. campuses

A campus Palestinian solidarity movement rolled into Saskatchewan's two universities with dual events on Friday.

The all-day events at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and the University of Regina featured activities such as teach-ins, letter writing, and speeches from students, professors and Palestinians.

Protests across the country have followed others that began on campuses in the United States. At some universities in Canada, encampments have popped up, and some have been dismantled by local police. 

The encampments at Canadian schools have followed months of protest marches, petitions, sit-ins and hunger strikes by pro-Palestinian movement activists since Israel's military response to the Oct. 7 attacks. 

Ali Elawad is a U of R student. He said their peaceful event is meant to help counter misconceptions about the movement.

"There's no violence. There's art, there's music. It's people uniting," Elawad said.

Like other recent campus protests, the student groups are demanding that Saskatchewan universities disclose and cut any financial and research ties with Israel.

In Saskatoon, students and faculty gathered in the Bowl at the centre of campus to rally support for Gaza.

Adam Ismail is a volunteer with the group Students for Justice in Palestine. His grandparents on both sides of the family are from the region and his family makes regular trips to visit relatives.

"We've been to the West Bank multiple times. We've experienced the hardships that they face there. What's happening in Gaza is so much worse," Ismail said.

Hamas led a surprise attack on southern Israeli bases and communities on Oct. 7, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Some 129 hostages remain captive in Gaza. Israel has since launched an air, ground and sea assault on the blockaded Palestinian territory, killing more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

These events at Saskatchewan universities follow recent campus protests and encampments in Edmonton and Calgary, as well as other post-secondary institutions across Canada.

U of S political studies associate professor Colleen Bell said students and faculty are pressuring U of S decision makers "to think about how some of our relationships with research institutes and universities in Israel might be inadvertently supporting Israel."

Bell said she's proud of students taking a stance.