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A statue of Joseph-Henri Tabaret at the University of Ottawa has been defaced with orange point spilled over the monument at the front of the namesake Tabaret Hall.
The hall has been the site of an encampment by pro-Palestinian supporters for several weeks, but there was no official indication that protesters had been behind the paint-splashing.
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The statue is located directly across from the encampments that were set up around the end of April to pressure the university to divest any investments in Israeli-connected companies.
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Ottawa police had no information on the vandalism on Saturday.
Spokespeople for Mayor Mark Sutcliffe were not available for comment. Rideau-Vanier Coun. Stéphanie Plante did not respond to a request for comment.
Shortly after the news that protesters planned to set up camp on the property, Éric Bercier, associate vice-president for student affairs at uOttawa, issued an open letter stating that “freedom of expression” was valued.
“We continue to feel the pain and anxiety that many in our university community are experiencing due to the scale of suffering in the Middle East,” he wrote.
“As always, our institution supports and protects the right to peaceful protest as a cornerstone of both our university mission and our democratic life.”
However, Bercier noted the university’s policies made it clear that the use of university property for demonstrations and other events was a “privilege, not a right.”
“While peaceful protest is permitted in appropriate public spaces on campus according to our policies and regulations, encampments and occupations will not be tolerated.”
While the uOttawa encampment has been loud, there have been no major confrontations.
Tabaret (1828-1886) was a French-born Roman Catholic priest. He is best known for his academic contribution to the university, where he taught for decades.
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