Protests that led to TMU student arrests ‘symptoms’ of campus polarization: review

TORONTO – Two protests that led to the arrests of Toronto Metropolitan University students last year were “symptoms of a deteriorating campus climate” after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, an external review has found.

The newly released report by former Ontario Court of Appeal judge Mary Lou Benotto and lawyer Margot Finley concluded incidents similar to those of Sept. 19 and Nov. 5 were likely to occur again “absent decisive institutional action.”

University campuses have been a flashpoint for protests in Canada and beyond in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel that marked the beginning of the deadly conflict. Several universities have grappled with how to handle demonstrations, with some turning to the courts in their efforts to clear protest encampments.

The report said a student was arrested after the disruption of a TMU-hosted Democracy Forum event, raising concerns about how the arrest — which it deemed “reasonable and lawful in the circumstances” — was portrayed on social media.

The event was meant to feature a discussion with the federal minister of artificial intelligence, Evan Solomon, but was “repeatedly disrupted” by members of the group Students for Justice in Palestine at Toronto Metropolitan University, who interrupted the speakers and called specific members of the audience by epithets such as “war criminal” and “murderer,” the report said. 

In the end, the event couldn’t proceed, it said.

After leaving the auditorium, one of the protesters refused the security guards’ requests to identify herself or leave university property, the document said. As a guard directed the student out of the building, she “flailed her arms and her phone made contact with the security guard’s face,” after which she was arrested for assault and restrained by the guards, it said.

“The review acknowledges the emotional impact of the arrest and the legitimate concerns expressed by many students and faculty regarding campus securitization,” but found the force used in the arrest was not excessive.

Edited social media footage that “omitted important context and portrayed the incident as ‘brutalization’ contributed to hostility toward the security guards involved” and to the incorrect belief that the student’s arrest stemmed purely from her involvement in the protest, the report said.

Weeks later, several protesters were arrested after the disruption of an off-campus event organized by the TMU student group Students Supporting Israel and involving speakers with ties to the Israel Defense Forces, the report said.

The university had rejected a request to hold the event on campus in part because it expected “significant disruption and security risks,” the review found, adding lawful events shouldn’t be denied simply because of potential opposition.

Demonstrators with Students for Justice in Palestine at TMU entered the event, “shouting slogans and surrounding attendees in an enclosed space,” the document said. At some point during the protest, a glass door broke, resulting in injuries, it said. The event did not go ahead.

The nearly 200-page report said TMU has policies capable of addressing much of the conduct at the heart of the review but has “too often failed to apply them consistently and decisively,” contributing to growing tensions..

It recommended the downtown Toronto school take several steps, including revising its statement on freedom of speech to “expressly prohibit” intimidation, harassment, discrimination and behaviour that interferes with others’ right to free expression.

Other recommendations include the adoption of “clear, content-neutral expectations” for protests as well as changes to ensure lawful events aren’t denied because of anticipated opposition, and better regulation of online harassment, intimidation, doxxing and other such conduct.

“The university cannot resolve the conflict in the Middle East or eliminate disagreement, grief, anger, or competing historical narratives,” the report reads. “It can, however, establish clear behavioural expectations, protect the rights of all members of the community, and enforce its policies consistently, transparently, and predictably.”

In response to the report, the university’s president, Mohamed Lachemi, announced the launch of a task force on campus expression, antisemitism and community safety, led by former Ontario premier Bob Rae. 

The task force is set to begin its work in the coming weeks and expected to provide an “implementation blueprint” to the university by March of next year.

The Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, says Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 72,700 people. It does not give a breakdown between civilians and militants.

A ceasefire agreement announced last October ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press