Inside the encampment

Controversy swirls around growing community on the University of Toronto's campus

- BEN COHEN

Palestinian flags fly over the pro-Palestinian encampment set up in front of Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto campus.

Inside of the University of Toronto protest encampment — marked by a tall fence reinforced with zip ties and guarded by bouncers — there was an art installation.

Using invasive plant species like the “dog-strangling vine,” a local florist was creating a “symbol of ongoing colonialization.”

The invasive species were meant to represent Zionists.

The paradox of this dehumanizing display, which sat underneath a Progress Pride flag, is that it was created in a place its architects say was founded on compassion.

What does it say about this protest encampment, which is now in its second month on the campus of Canada’s biggest university?

Is it an outlier? Is it evidence of an undercurrent of antisemitism some say permeates the protest? Is it a reflection of Israel becoming a pariah, eight months into an offensive that has killed, starved and orphaned tens of thousands?

Doubtless, it is in line with its members’ revulsion with Israel’s government, a feeling they say grows as the war in Gaza continues. Footage from Gaza, of Palestinian civilians being killed by bombs and bullets, is inescapable online. It has hardened resolve and hearts.

“All I know is I am a human being and I am witnessing a horrific genocide,” said Erin Mackey, a U of T undergrad student and encampment spokesperson. “I talked with someone yesterday who lost 26 members of their family.”

The Star recently visited the en campment for an extended tour, speaking to protesters about their lives and ambitions. It was a search for understanding of a movement whose nature and meaning have been bitterly contested. Despite all sides’ desperate attempts to define it, it is not one thing, not one view, but a diverse group held together by shared horror at what’s unfolding in Gaza.