Saanich Police are investigating an incident where a man allegedly entered ‘People’s Park UVic’ multiple times this week and assaulted protesters.
People’s Park UVic is a protest camp that was set up on the campus quad since May 1st. They are calling on UVic to meet their demands, most of which involve the university’s divestment from their Israeli connections.
Saanich Police say they have been aiding UVic campus security since the encampment was established in order to keep people safe, including the protesters.
On Tuesday, May 7th, Saanich Police became aware of two incidents in which a man broke into the camp and assaulted protesters.
According to the administrators of People’s Park UVic, the suspect who police should be looking for has been circling the encampment since the day they set up on campus.
They said any interactions they had with him initially they were able to de-escalate, however he has gotten increasingly violent over the last few days.
Contrary to what Saanich Police are saying, encampment admins say that there were actually three incidents of assault from the same suspect.
Related:
- UVic Palestinian solidarity encampment continues after seven days of protesting
- Protest camp grows on UVic quad as students seek peace for Palestine
In the first, they say the suspect charged into the camp and assaulted one protester who suffered injuries and went home to recover. The camp administrators say they reported this to campus security.
In the second incident, they say the suspect returned two hours after the first assault and attacked numerous protesters while threatening to kill them.
During this incident, he also reportedly let his dogs loose in the encampment while telling protesters he had trained them to hurt people.
Lastly, on May 8th, the suspect returned and attacked a protester while outside of the encampment, resulting in numerous injuries including a concussion, according to the encampment admins.
Additionally, the protesters say that after this incident, they were troubled to learn the suspect is reportedly living near the encampment in a camper and has a history of sexual and physical violence.
Police are now asking anyone who has information about the suspect or the incidents to contact Campus Security or the Saanich Police at (250) 457-4321.
