CCLA Calls on Universities to Ensure their Policies Respect Students’ Right to Peacefully Protest on Campus

On September 10, 2024, CCLA sent a letter to the presidents of more than 70 universities across Canada to draw their attention to the utmost importance of respecting students’ fundamental rights and freedoms on university campus, including their right to peacefully protest. 

CCLA believes that universities’ policies on protests should give an expansive and meaningful consideration to students’ fundamental rights and freedoms. This starts with presuming that peaceful protests are welcomed on campus and do not require preauthorization. Any limit to a given protest should be carefully crafted by the university and based on a pressing and substantive reason – for instance in case of incitement to imminent violence. The reasons behind any limit should be communicated by the university, and its decisions should be subject to a clear review mechanism. Finally, non-compliance with a university policy should not be met with disproportionate sanctions. 

You can read CCLA’s letter here.