Police in riot gear deployed to MacEwan University following pro-Palestinian protest

Edmonton police equipped with riot gear responded to a disturbance involving pro-Palestinian demonstrators at MacEwan University on Thursday afternoon.

A demonstration had taken place in the campus’s main library, where protesters called on university leadership to meet with them, and for the school to divest from and boycott companies with ties to Israel. Similar protests have taken place at universities across Canada and the U.S.

MacEwan student and organizer Nour Salhi said security detained one student as she was leaving, after being warned not to use a megaphone.

“It just completely escalated from there,” she said.

Video footage on social media, verified by Postmedia, shows security standing off with protesters while grabbing a student and pushing others away.

Salhi said the student was taken to a separate room and that protesters gathered at a security office near the campus cafeteria to demand her release.

Afterwards, EPS officers arrived on scene equipped with riot shields and helmets. Police without riot gear spoke with security and protestors, and the detained student was later released.

Salhi said the student was told she was banned from campus for seven days.

The Edmonton Police Service said officers were called to MacEwan University following “a disturbance” and assisted with dispersing a crowd.

EPS said no arrests were made, and no injuries were reported during its response, but said police continue to investigate.

MacEwan University spokesperson John Archer confirmed the protest and police response and said the safety and well-being of students, faculty, staff and visitors is the institution’s priority.

“All members of the university community have the right to learn, live and work in an environment free from disruption and harassment,” Archer said in an emailed statement to Postmedia.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism:Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.