Western student protest attracts greater anti-mandate community

Tensions are ramping up ahead of a planned protest at Western University Saturday, in opposition to the school’s recently announced COVID-19 mandates.

A newly formed student led group calling itself Enough Is Enough said it has informed campus police it estimates between 500 and 1,000 people will take part in the demonstration.

Kendra Hancock, a group spokesperson, said the protest is about freedom of choice.

“We’re kind of tired of Western trying to control us, which is what’s been happening for the last two and a half years,” said Hancock. “It’s time for us to be treated as adults, and we need to be able to make our own choices regarding our own health.”

Earlier this week Western University announced its new health protocols for the fall semester, including mandated booster shots and in-class masking.

The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association said it wants to discuss the finer points of the new health protocols with its employer, but president Hiram Perrinpanayagam said they’re in favour of the rules.

“You have hundreds and hundreds of students in a single lecture hall, right? We need to be cognizant of the risks associated with that. We don’t want an outbreak to occur late in the fall and we would have to revert, dare I say, to online instruction and exams again.”

Florentine Strzelczyk, Western’s provost and vice-president, issued a statement on Friday:

"Western will be welcoming thousands of students and employees from over 120 countries to campus in just a few short weeks. As a campus community, we are doing everything we can to protect in-person learning and a great on-campus experience.

Our approach is informed by consultation with our medical experts and the Western community, and mirrors several of North America’s largest universities, including Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale per CDC recommendations.

We’ve thought a lot about this decision. And we’ve heard from our campus community that it’s the right approach for us, and for our students.

As always, we see a mixed response to our COVID protocols. We also hear a fair amount from people who are not part of the Western community. We know our approach won’t make everyone happy, but we’ve also heard from many people, including students, that they’re pleased to see us use all the tools available to us to help keep them safe and to have a consistent in-person experience this year."

The demonstration at Western’s concrete beach is set to begin at 12 p.m. Saturday.