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In reaction to protest encampments arising on B.C. campuses, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender has issued the following statement:

As protest encampments spring up on campuses across B.C. and Canada, I remain concerned about those who speak up in solidarity with Gaza being penalized.

As I have said before, I stand with the United Nations in asserting that speaking out about atrocities in Gaza or the actions of the state of Israel must be allowed. This is part of my legislative mandate to promote compliance with international human rights obligations.

Rights and responsibilities do not end at campus gates. Campus communities have the right to peaceful and lawful assembly and free expression.

So long as the limits of hate speech are not violated, universities, colleges and public institutions should stand up for and protect the rights of students, faculty and staff to make their voices heard on campus…

— Kasari Govender, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner

There must be no place in B.C. for antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia or public incitement or wilful promotion of hatred against any group. So long as those limits are not violated, universities, colleges and public institutions should stand up for and protect the rights of students, faculty and staff to make their voices heard on campus, including through peaceful encampments. Police also have a duty to uphold and respect the law, including respecting human rights protections. Their role should be to keep the peace and uphold rights.

We will remember this moment and this movement in the future, just as we look back on the student movements of our past. The exercise of these rights to peaceful and lawful protest, assembly and expression are foundational to our democracy and to the inherent human right to speak our conscience. Peaceful demonstration is essential in part because it allows us to speak up against injustice and violence, even when such views are controversial. How decision-makers react to student protests now will mark the strength of our democracy and our human rights protections long into the future.

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About BCOHRC

BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner exists to address the root causes of inequality, discrimination and injustice in B.C. by shifting laws, policies, practices and cultures. We do this work through education, research, advocacy, inquiry and monitoring. Learn more at: bchumanrights.ca

About the Commissioner

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, started her five-year term on Sept. 3, 2019. As an independent officer of the Legislature, Commissioner Govender is uniquely positioned to ensure human rights in B.C. are protected, respected and advanced on a systemic level. Her work through BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner centres listening deeply to British Columbians to inform educational materials, policy guidance, public inquiries, interventions, community-based research and more that protects marginalized communities, addresses discrimination and injustice and upholds human rights for all.

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