On Friday, a group of people came together in front of Richardson Hall making demands of the institution regarding the war in the Middle East that are similar to those recently seen in colleges and universities across North America. A number of individuals at that gathering have now set up tents on campus, 15 as of Sunday afternoon, and they remain in place in the courtyard between Richardson Hall and Mac-Corry.
In accordance with our Responsible Investing Policy, a group of Queen’s community members has provided a written request that the university consider divestment. This request was received by the University Secretariat and is being reviewed in accordance with the procedure. Yesterday, this statement was issued regarding the encampment.
While the encampment is largely peaceful today, regrettably there have been reports of aggressive acts and threats made during the earlier protest. The encampment area is contained and secure, however we would ask staff and faculty to use their own judgement when accessing the courtyard area. We encourage respectful discourse and debate on our campus, but we will not tolerate harassment, discrimination, intimidation, threats of violence, or illegal acts, and we will use the tools at our disposal to address them. The safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, and staff is our priority and everyone should feel safe to work and study on campus.
Queen’s will do everything it can to protect and support our students, faculty, and staff and there are a wide variety of supports available should you need them.