Students gathered by the Sir Isaac Brock statue demanding transparency over Brock’s financial ties to Israel, sparking both support and backlash online.
The peaceful demonstration was organized by Brock4Palestine, a pro-Palestinian activist group made up of students and alumni of Brock. The group advertised the protest on their Instagram during Truth and Reconciliation Week.
“Brock 4 Palestine honours survivors of residential schools and ethnic cleansing of the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Join us in front of RANKIN PAVILION @ 3PM TODAY to stand in solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island and Palestine.”
By 2:45 p.m., a handful of police and special constables were watching the entrance and surrounding area of Rankin Pavilion.
By 3 p.m., students made their way to the statue facing the entrance of Brock wearing keffiyeh and other symbols associated with the pro-Palestine movement.
Many students walked by casually, some glancing at the gathering while most seemed to ignore the protest.
The police presence at the scene remained calm, keeping a distance from the demonstrators.
While students passing by seemed relatively unbothered by the protest, it did spark outrage, confusion and some support by multiple students online.
Comments made on posts about the protest on r/brocku, the University’s unofficial Reddit forum, reflected this mix of sentiments. While some students expressed support for the right to protest, others voiced skepticism about the protest’s purpose.
“I’m all for a constructive protest but seriously, what is Brock going to do?,” one Reddit user said. Others criticized the protesters for blaming the university for events beyond its control.
“At least we’re doing something,” said Zyna, an undergradu participating in the protest. “At least we’re not naysayers like they are.”
Zyna emphasized the frustration they felt about the lack of response from the campus community, particularly regarding the university’s neutral stance on the issue.
“For the past year now, whatever has been happening is so open in the media, yet our own campus does not have a single voice that speaks against it. They are calling for neutrality, which is wrong because the ones being affected — their voices are not being heard.”
Syed, another student protester, said that their personal background as a Kashmiri connected them to the Palestinian cause.
“Unfortunately, the people in Jammu Kashmir are going through the same thing as the people of Palestine. So, I want to stand up for the same thing that’s happening to my people and stand up for the people in Palestine.”
For an hour, the protesters held signs and chanted several mottos that are commonly used at pro-Palestine rallies, including the widely used “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” chant.
Some chants and signs were more tailored to Brock and mentioned President Lesley Rigg by name:
“Lesley Rigg, you can’t hide. Speak against the genocide!”
“Disclose, divest. We won’t stop, we won’t rest!”
“Lesley Rigg, drop the act. Your bias clouds the facts.”
According to several student protesters, the reason President Lesley Rigg is addressed so prominently is because of the administration’s neutral position on the Israel-Hamas War and have given no answers as to whether or not Brock is currently invested in Israel institutions.
“We have asked [the administration] about it, but they themselves have not been open about it,” said Zyna. “We demand transparency from them so that we know our tuition is not funding the oppression of others.”
The demands of the protesters are outlined on their Instagram:
“1. Acknowledge and condemn Israel’s genocidal acts, apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire;
2. Cut any academic ties and partnerships with Israeli institutions as well as academics and thinkers who have spoken and/or written in favour of the violent Zionist occupation; and
3. Affirm and protect pro-Palestinian voices and actions on campus and promise no sanctions, including but not limited to academic suspension and expulsion, on students who engage in pro-Palestinian sentiments and actions.”
Meanwhile, some conservative-leaning news agencies have criticized President Lesley Rigg for attending events organized by Brock HRE that have a pro-Palestinian, decolonial perspective. Rigg has restated her commitment to upholding students’ freedom of expression in response.
Some comments about the protest from students online included xenophobic and discriminatory language such as, “OMG go home and protest or gear up and fight for their people,” and “Let them go back to Palestine then and have a dictatorship rule them.”
When asked if academic spaces should be used for activism, Zyna confidently stated, “Definitely. There’s injustice across the world but, no matter who it is, we’re still part of the same human race. If you don’t have the basic decency to stand up for a basic human right, then you cannot be coming to a post-secondary institution to begin with.”
Brock itself has a diverse and storied history of student activism dating back to the 1960s, including a march across the Rainbow Bridge protesting the Vietnam War and a 1,300-student moratorium against provincial cutbacks in education. Student groups have even taken their activism to the thirteenth floor of Schmon Tower to demand change from the president multiple times with great success.
Zyna expressed her unwavering commitment to the cause regardless of what challenges or criticisms they might face.
“I’m excited to come here every single week. I hope the campus and the admin do what they need to do, and we’re not going to stop until that happens.”
Brock4Palestine is determined to keep pushing for action from the university administration with weekly protests until they see their demands met.