Why student encampments and protests should be encouraged

By Faisal Kutty

Over 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters, mostly students, have been arrested — in some cases violently — throughout the U.S. for activism. Now hundreds of Canadian students have joined the movement.

Freedom of expression, speech and assembly are fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international law. Indeed, these represent the lifeblood and oxygen of democracy.

Exposing students to and challenging them with different views and ideas, however objectionable, is the very raison d’être of universities.

Against this backdrop, how should we respond?

In general, all public spaces can be used to protest, and 81 per cent of Canadians agree that it is “acceptable” to protest on campuses, according to an Angus Reid Poll.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/why-student-encampments-and-protests-should-be-encouraged/article_a989343c-0d5e-11ef-a14f-c7433da252f1.html