Two students participating in a pro-Palestinian demonstration were physically removed by security personnel at MacEwan University on Oct. 7 in an incident captured on video and shared on social media.
In footage posted to Instagram, two individuals can be heard chanting “free, free Palestine,” as security personnel and peace officers physically remove them from the first floor of Allard Hall.
The video shows four security guards surrounding one attendee, with a peace officer joining, before two guards drag the individual away from the gathering and out of the building. Another attendee can be seen being dragged across the floor before regaining their footing and being escorted out.
The gathering, organized by the Palestinian Student Alliance (PSA), was advertised on Instagram as an event titled “Remembering Our Martyrs,” scheduled for noon on Oct. 7.
While organized as a memorial, the gathering also involved demonstrations, including chants calling for Palestinian freedom and the use of microphones and loudspeakers.
According to the PSA, security was stationed outside Allard Hall before the demonstration began, with additional officers positioned throughout the building.
One student said security approached the group before they entered the building and warned them that using microphones or amplified sound indoors would violate university policy.
They said organizers initially delayed using their microphones to arrange a meeting with the university administration. According to the student, security personnel said they would communicate the request to administration, but later informed the group that no representatives would attend.
“We still gave them 30 minutes,” the student said, explaining that the group did not begin using microphones until around 12:30 p.m.
Leah Born, who witnessed and participated in the demonstration, said she observed security guards and peace officers stationed on multiple levels of Allard Hall. As students began speaking through microphones attached to loudspeakers, officers repeatedly approached them and instructed them to stop.
Born said students continued speaking and moving throughout the atrium as officers followed them. She also witnessed one student repeatedly request a peace officer’s badge number, which she said the officer refused to provide.
Members of the PSA also said a peace officer refused to provide his badge number while inside, but once student protestors and security were outside, three peace officers provided their badge numbers to the group.
A student involved in the demonstration said security warned participants that they would be issued trespass notices if they turned on their microphones. Another student said they were subsequently warned that they could be arrested if they refused to leave.
Born said the confrontation escalated when officers began physically removing a student protestor. She said another student attempted to intervene before being restrained by security and peace officers and dragged toward the building’s exit.
Born recalled seeing visible bandages on the student’s arms as officers pulled her backwards to the doors after she had lost her footing.
“You could see that her arms were bandaged, and they were dragging all of her body weight by her arms backwards. And she was saying that it was hurting, and they kind of just kept moving.”
– Leah Born, MacEwan student and participant in the demonstration.
The student described the experience as painful and said officers continued to drag her even as she attempted to adjust her clothing after falling to the ground. The day after the event, she was left with bruising around her wrists and arms.
Following the removals, a member of the PSA said security was stationed outside Allard Hall while the building’s doors were locked, allowing only certain students in and preventing the demonstrators from returning.
Student protestors said they eventually retrieved their belongings before continuing the memorial outside, where members of the PSA read aloud the names of scholars and students killed in Gaza.
Protesters said they were verbally banned from campus for seven days, but were not issued formal trespass notices.
MacEwan University’s Campus Security Policy outlines the responsibilities of security personnel in maintaining a safe environment for students, staff, and visitors, including during campus events and gatherings.
Under section 4.5.1, campus security is expected to use appropriate judgment when responding to incidents on campus, including when determining which “reasonable measures” are necessary to address a situation.
Section 3.2.7 defines “reasonable measures” as “measures that would be perceived by an impartial observer as appropriate for the situation.”
However, the policy does not explicitly outline when physical force is considered a reasonable measure or what steps security personnel must take before physically restraining or removing someone from campus.
Born questioned whether the use of physical force was proportionate to the disruption caused by the demonstration, acknowledging that amplified sound may have interfered with university activities.
“I would not call a disruption to the learning environment an imminent threat that needs to be responded to with force — with physical force,” said Born.
She also raised concerns about the discretion afforded to security under the university’s policies, arguing that the response appeared inconsistent with the principles of free expression in an academic environment.
MacEwan University’s Free Expression on Campus Policy states that the university “recognizes that Free Expression is essential to the pursuit of knowledge,” and is committed to providing an environment where students and faculty can openly express their views.
Appendix A of the policy states that the university will “not restrict the time, place, or manner of lawful conduct except where it threatens to disrupt the ordinary activities of the institution.”
While the policy recognizes limits on expression, it does not specify how the university determines when a gathering or demonstration crosses that threshold.
In an email sent to MacEwan University students on Oct. 8, provost Dr. Craig Monk addressed the event, stating that trespass notices had been issued to individuals whose conduct “the learning environment and midterm exams.”
Monk said the university had heard from students frustrated by the interruptions, as well as from faculty members who expressed concerns about their ability to teach.
“MacEwan’s policies allow protest and demonstration on campus in a way that respects free expression while balancing the protection of the operations of the University,” Monk wrote. “Yesterday’s conduct did not respect that balance.”
The email also addressed vandalism and graffiti discovered across campus, primarily in washrooms. Monk said the costs associated with cleaning, repairs, and increased security patrols would ultimately fall on the university community.
Monk further outlined activities the university considers disruptive to its learning environment, including obstructing access to buildings, interfering with classes or university operations, creating safety concerns, and using amplified sound in ways that materially disrupt teaching and learning.
