'Overwhelming' support: Liberation Zone at UWindsor enters 3rd day

A Liberation Zone in support of Palestine is seen at the University of Windsor on May 11, 2024. (Source: Divest Windsor)

It is the third day of demonstrations at the University of Windsor, with “Liberation Zone” organizers making it clear they “will not rest” until the university meets their demands.

Pro-Palestine protestors first set up a Liberation Zone at the University of Windsor’s Dillon Hall on May 9.

On Saturday, organizers issued an update regarding the status of the demonstration.

According to a news release, organizers said that following the demonstration outside the University of Windsor’s Senate meeting on Friday, “students stayed the night at the Liberation Zone which is now on its third day.”

Despite the cold temperatures and rain, organizers said more than 12 students have erected tents in the Liberation Zone and fields surrounding it, as they continue “their commitment to their demands.”

Organizers note the "overwhelming” support for the demonstration from the campus community and the community as a whole, and have been supplied food, coffee and blankets.

"It is clear that we are making an impact and adding pressure on the administration, but this is a marathon and continued support is necessary,” one organizer said. “We will not rest until they disclose and divest.”

 

What are protesters demanding?

The protestors demand that the university “disclose all institutional expenditures, divest from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation, and declare its opposition to the Israeli occupation in the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people."

The protest at the University of Windsor comes after encampments and Liberation Zones were erected at other universities such as McGill, McMaster, Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, among others.

“There are no more universities in Gaza and we stand strictly in opposition that our education funds their death,” a spokesperson from the Liberation Zone told CTV News Windsor on Thursday. “For over seven months as we watched people get killed, life continued on as normal and that is no longer acceptable.” 

 

A statement from the University of Windsor

A statement issued Thursday by the university reads:

"The University of Windsor’s dedication to responsible investing was demonstrated in 2020 when it became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, pledging to integrate environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues into all of our investment strategies. The commitments that the University made by becoming a signatory are articulated in our Responsible Investment Policy. The integration of ESG factors into the University’s investment decisions is primarily done by external investment managers, who may screen portfolios to assure alignment with the University’s ESG values."

-- With files from CTV News Windsor's Melanie Kentner