Dalhousie University closes all Halifax campuses due to security risk from encampment

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

Dalhousie University is closing all Halifax campuses due to the ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment on Studley Campus.

The university posted the notice on its website saying the campuses will be closed until further notice. Buildings will not be available and any staff who can work from home should, the university said.

On Friday, the school issued a statement saying encampment participants had to remove all objects and personal belongings by Sunday at 7 p.m. A handful of demonstrators stayed overnight in a tent at the protest site in anticipation of school security trying to shut it down.

Beginning at around 6:30 a.m. Monday, security guards started removing tents, banners and large signs at the encampment.

“We are continuing to monitor the ongoing situation and will provide further updates to our community as needed,” a university spokesperson told CityNews Halifax.

According to the note, the reason for the closure is a safety risk and the severity is moderate.

“Staff who are unable to or who are not set up to work from home, time away from the office should be treated as regular, paid workdays,” it reads.

The encampment was set up on the Studley Quad on May 12 by Students for the Liberation of Palestine, which describes itself as a coalition from Dalhousie and four other Halifax schools.

The group is calling on all universities in Halifax to disclose their investments in companies tied to Israel, to divest from them, and to reinvest that money in scholarships for Palestinian students.

The encampment “will remain, and all the students that support the encampment will remain until all of our demands are met,” Owen Skeen, president of the NSCAD student union and encampment spokesperson, said Monday

This is a breaking news story. More to come.

With files from The Canadian Press.