Smith says Ellis to ask ASIRT to look into anti-Israel encampment removals

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis had the chance to meet with the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, students, and the Calgary and Edmonton police chiefs about the anti-Israel encampments.

Reports have been raised about potential injuries from the anti-Israel encampment removals.

“And so my minister of public safety and emergency services has committed that he will ask ASIRT (Alberta Serious Incident Response Team) to do an investigation to ensure there wasn’t any unreasonable use of force,” said Smith in a Monday speech during Question Period in the Alberta Legislature.

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley had pointed out the contrast of the police responses at U of C and U of A with the government’s passive acceptance of a 43-day encampment protesting the carbon tax.

“The universities got it wrong, Mr. Speaker,” said Notley.

“So to the premier — will she ensure the minister responsible uses the powers under Section 99 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act to launch a thorough investigation into the decision-making to violently remove young people and faculty this weekend from the campus.”

Ellis said in a press scrum he learned there had been some injuries.

“And of course if there are some injuries, that takes it to an entirely different level that may result in an independent ASIRT investigation,” he said.

“So these are things that I’m actually contemplating.”

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) said on Friday it had dismantled the anti-Israel encampment on U of C’s campus after being up for less than one day.

READ MORE: WATCH: Riot police dismantle anti-Israel encampment from U of C campus

Protesters assembled a makeshift territory with about 20 tents surrounded by wooden skids on the south lawn near MacEwan Hall around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. Soon after it was assembled, CPS was notified about it by campus security and warned the protesters to leave.

CPS estimated what began with about 15 people in the morning grew to 150. Protestors were students and non-students and represented all age groups.

The University of Alberta said on Saturday it had almost all of the occupants from its anti-Israel encampment cleared out following a third reading to them of a trespass notice.

READ MORE: U of A, Edmonton police clear out pro-Palestine encampment from campus

At the time the encampment cleared, there were about 40 tents and 50 people.

“To the best of our knowledge, fewer than 25% of the occupants were University of Alberta students,” said U of A President and Vice-Chancellor Bill Flanagan.
https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/smith-says-ellis-to-ask-asirt-to-look-into-anti-israel-encampment-removals/54533