Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod has declined a meeting with the University of Ottawa for enabling a pro-Palestinian encampment to stand on their campus grounds.
In a post on X, the Nepean MPP said that after more than a month of the pro-Palestine encampment standing on the University of Ottawa’s campus, she would not be accepting a meeting with the university.
“I just declined a meeting with @uOttawa until the antisemitic encampment is ordered off campus,” said MacLeod.
“It’s been over a month since the protestors started squatting and vandalizing the school.”
The University of Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment from True North.
MacLeod, a self-described Zionist and ardent supporter of Israel, is one of a few PC MPPs who have been outspoken advocates of Israel as its war with Hamas enters its ninth month.
When the Ontario NDP had attempted to overturn a ban on the keffiyeh in the Ontario legislature, MacLeod was among the PC MPPs who shot down the motion.
At the beginning of May, pro-Palestinian students began to contruct an encampment on uOttawa’s campus, with the goal of pressuring the university to divest from companies who have ties with Israel.
In late April, the University of Ottawa released a statement clearly saying it would not tolerate the establishment of any unlawful encampments or occupations on its campus.
“While peaceful protest is permitted in appropriate public spaces on campus according to our policies and regulations, encampments and occupations will not be tolerated,” read the statement.
However, as students began erecting tents and a wider encampment on campus grounds, the university did not take action to disband the encampment, as had been done previously with other university occupations across the country.
In mid-May, Calgary police cleared out an unlawful encampment established on the University of Calgary’s campus grounds. A couple of days later, a similar encampment was similarly disbanded by Edmonton police on the University of Alberta’s campus.
The University of Ottawa has been attempting to negotiate with the encampment’s main organizers, a group named INSAF, to have the encampment removed in exchange for promises to release a list of the university’s investments, including those in Israel.
As reported by True North, the uOttawa encampment had been decorated with antisemitic, anti-police, and pro-Hamas messaging, including phrases like “no peace on stolen land,” “all the Zionists are racist,” and “ACAB,” an acronym for “all cops are bad.”
Red triangles, a symbol meant to express support for Hamas’ military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, were displayed prominently on encampment tarps and a protester was photographed proudly wearing a flag with Hamas’ logo on it.