Anti-Israel protesters at U of T continue demonstration past eviction deadline

Anti-Israel protesters who have remained camped out on the University of Toronto grounds for weeks say they will not honour the terms of a trespass notice issued by the school.

The notice told students that they would need to clear the site by 8 am today.

Organizers say that they will instead hold a rally alongside the Ontario Federation of Labour in an effort to force the school to meet their demands.

Officials from the institution issued a trespass notice on Friday ordering protesters to remove the encampment by 8 am on Monday. Officials indicated on Sunday that an injunction would be sought if protesters did not comply, reports the Canadian Press.

In a statement posted Monday morning, university president Meric Gertler announced that the school is seeking an injunction and requesting an expedited case conference from the court.

“In addition to pursuing this legal avenue to return King’s College Circle to the university community, we continue to engage in discussions with students representing those in the encampment,” the statement reads.

“We held a long and productive meeting yesterday and are meeting again today. We remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement and bring the unauthorized encampment to an end.”

A meeting between the two parties was held on Sunday, where protesters gave their list of demands, including that the university disclose all public investments in companies profiting from the Israel-Hamas conflict.

They are also demanding the school create a joint working group, including their participation, to review private investments and to sever ties with two specific Israeli academic institutions.

Neither the protesters nor the university have made public statements about the meeting's outcome.

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