Edmonton police answer questions about response to U of A encampment protest – Edmonton | 24CA News
The Edmonton Police Service held a news convention Friday to reply questions concerning the EPS response to the May 11 dismantling of an encampment on the University of Alberta campus.
Police additionally shared extra movies to offer what they described as a extra “fulsome” image of the encampment, and what occurred when police arrived and clashed with protesters.
EPS Deputy Chief Devin Laforce stated the protest on the U of A began at 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 9. Campus peace officers advised members they weren’t allowed to camp there in a single day. They had been advised repeatedly that they had been trespassing, Laforce stated, and indicators had been posted.
Over the subsequent few days, there have been “calls to action,” Laforce stated, and indications the protesters meant to remain there. “This indicated a commitment to defy lawful direction as well as the intent to accumulate food and equipment for a longer-term occupation,” Laforce stated.
It was one in all a number of current protests on tutorial campuses in Canada and the United States in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
At its peak on Friday, the U of A encampment had about 150 individuals and 40 tents, as protesters referred to as on the college to chop ties with companies and investments that help Israel.
Edmonton police stated campus peace officers repeatedly gave demonstrators discover that they had been breaching college coverage and trespassing legal guidelines.
At round 4 p.m. Friday, the college requested police help to take away the encampment, Laforce stated.
Early Saturday morning, campus peace officers learn the eviction discover and once more as soon as police arrived at 4:45 a.m., he stated. About half the demonstrators left at the moment, police stated.
Demonstrators weren’t sleeping in tents when police arrived, Laforce stated. He stated they had been standing in line dealing with police. The EPS shared video of this on Friday.
“Occupiers were not asleep,” Laforce stated. “All the occupiers were standing and refusing lawful direction. They weren’t sitting down peacefully, they weren’t laying down, they weren’t resting.”
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At 5:08 a.m., the remaining protesters got 10 minutes to filter out on their very own, Laforce stated. Then, police began to advance.
“During the initial clash between police and the encampment subjects, two subjects physically resisted police,” Insp. Lance Parker stated. They tried to seize police batons and had been arrested, he stated.
“To prevent the crowd from interfering with these arrests, pepper balls — 10 to 15 — were shot into the ground, and there was one muzzle blast of what was also an OC powder.
“There was no liquid spray on the crowd, certainly no tear gas, no OC grenades and no flash bangs. If you look at our officers in the video, you’ll see no shields, no helmets being worn and no masks,” Parker stated.
“This clash with protesters, all things considered, was incredibly minimal,” he stated.
Parker addressed footage of 1 officer who’s seen swinging a baton, saying that “use of force is never pleasant to watch” however that doesn’t imply it was extreme.
The complete battle took about 20 minutes, police stated, and the protesters turned cooperative fairly rapidly. In response, police diminished their use of power.
Laforce stated police have paramedics embedded of their public security unit and everybody at that scene was provided medical care from EMS.
“None was received,” Laforce stated, including there have been no studies of serious accidents to anybody there.
A 3rd arrest was made a short while in a while Saskatchewan Drive, Laforce stated.
“None of people arrested were university students,” Laforce stated. “At least one of those arrested was known to police, having been part of other protests for several years. The charges that were laid were assault of a police officer and assault at an obstruction.”
While clearing the campus encampment, police discovered drug paraphernalia, a number of picket pallets, fireplace extinguishers, instruments like hammers, wrenches and picket stakes, and a information on illegal encampments referred to as Defending the Camp, Laforce stated.
In the wake of this police response, a number of movies have been shared on-line which have led to the “doxing” of 11 EPS members, Laforce stated. He stated police at the moment are investigating behaviour he described as “bullying, harassment and intimidation” towards officers and their members of the family.
Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee stated EPS can be making a coverage change within the subsequent few weeks the place officers will show an ID tag with their regimental quantity on it reasonably than their title.
The police chief acknowledged it’s been an enormous week in Edmonton with a variety of essential discussions. He stated, within the final 16 months, police have responded to greater than 800 protests. Mostly, they’ve been peaceable.
“I think our communities have, for the most part, shown great respect for each other, for the diversity of beliefs that exist in our city,” McFee stated.
He stated police have had many conversations with neighborhood members and that “people across communities have also expressed their fears about the changing nature of the protests they’re seeing.”
McFee stated there are “bad actors,” “agitators” who’re “exploiting” susceptible teams and who wish to see demonstrations change into extra aggressive. They aren’t consultant of the entire neighborhood, the police chief stated.
McFee stated there’s a distinction between a protest and an entrenched encampment.
“These are complex and often dynamic situations for police agencies,” Laforce stated, “as officers have the difficult task of balancing the public’s right of free speech and enforcing the law.
“To be clear, camping on university lands is trespassing and it will not be tolerated. Charter rights do not come without responsibility for actions and do not outweigh unlawful actions.”
Nour Salhi, spokesperson for the Peoples University for Palestine, stated the encampment was peaceable till college administration determined to name police in.
“Every violent action that us students, faculty and community members at the encampment faced was due to their decision to bring in EPS in the first place,” she stated. “At no level had been we a risk to any members of the U of A neighborhood.
“EPS’ constant stumbling on justifications for what they did to us does not erase the fact they violently beat students, faculty and community members,” Salhi stated.
She stated nearly all of the individuals on the encampment had been U of A college students and disputes the declare there have been many non-students there.
“There’s no way for EPS or for the administration of U of A to have gotten that information at all,” she stated. “Neither visited our encampment or tried to get a head count or tried to talk with us.
“Our institutions need to listen to our community instead of trying to allenoate us. And EPS should be doing the same.”
Salhi stated protesters stay dedicated to their message.
“Our community stands firm with us and with our demands, which is disclose, divest, defend and declare your support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, two-way arms embargo and complete liberation of Palestine.”
In a press release Friday, the University of Alberta stated security is at all times its precedence.
“It was at the forefront in the difficult decision to disperse an encampment of 50 people with the assistance of Edmonton Police Service on May 11.
“The EPS timeline of events for clearing the encampment on May 11 aligns with what we experienced that day and in the days leading up to it.
“During this difficult time, our primary focus continues to be balancing freedom of expression while ensuring the safety and security of the University of Alberta community,” the assertion continues.
“After talking with representatives from NASA, AASUA, the Students’ Union, and the Graduate Students’ Association, it is clear that members of our community are hurt and in turmoil. We are working to move forward collaboratively and meaningfully.
“Over the coming days and weeks, we will continue our discussions with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the broader community, facilitating the discussion and exchange that is crucial to the university’s mission of teaching and learning.
“Many members of our community have been, and continue to be, deeply affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We are increasing our dialogue around our commitment to, and value of, academic freedom and freedom of expression and what that means to us in a university setting.”
