touch a tempest

Inspired by similar protest encampments in US universities, McGill, UofT and other universities in Canada have formed by students and possibly others, to principally ask for their institutions to divest of any investments they may have in Israel so as to diminish Israel's ability to continue their offensive into Gaza which is allegedly a genocide.

What to do about these encampments has been troublesome for these institutions as normally the endowments and other funds are managed by a third party so it is not a straight forward thing and may not always be in their best interest to divest. Just the same McGill has mentioned that there is a form that students can fill out and that if enough students filled out the form that could put in motion the divestment required.

McGill and Quebec premier Francois Legault among others have asked the police to take down the encampment but so far they have not. It is illegal what the students are doing, but it is also a form of protest which is a protected right. That the encampments are on university grounds and not, say, on a street that could block emergency vehicles puts them in places where there is really no urgent need to remove them.

The reason why I am posting about this is that I had an idea last night about what to do about these encampments, a solution that perhaps we could apply here across Canada. The institution should put their own fence around and against the existing encampment with signs every few meters that says no tents are allowed outside the fence; this would be a way to stop the encampment from growing any larger than it already is. Then, hire police or security to enforce that exterior of existing encampment perimeter.

Next, simply leave them be; in time the war in Israel/Gaza will end, or the school term will end, or summer will arrive and it will get very hot, or some students become disillusioned and leave. Living in a camp site that is devoid any typical creature comforts could not be pleasant over the long term. Media attention for their protest will wane and I suspect their will would crumble in time.

By going about it this way it avoids any confrontation at a time of police forcibly taking down the encampment and possibly injuring students.