Protesters donned rain ponchos and huddled in tents at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Toronto on Friday as they faced wet and windy conditions during the second day of a demonstration calling on the school to distance itself from Israel.

The encampment 91裸聊视频� one of several established at Canadian university campuses in recent days 91裸聊视频� went up early Thursday morning after students said they breached the fence around an area on the downtown campus known as King91裸聊视频檚 College Circle.

The camp remained overnight following an evening rally, and protesters spent part of Friday securing tents and other materials to withstand the wind.

The overnight stay went 91裸聊视频渜uite peacefully,91裸聊视频� said Mohammad Yassin, a fourth-year student and one of the protest91裸聊视频檚 spokespeople. It was a little cold but 91裸聊视频済enerally, everyone was in quite high spirits,91裸聊视频� he said.

Yassin, who has relatives in Gaza, said the demonstration and its cause are 91裸聊视频渧ery personal91裸聊视频� to him.

91裸聊视频淭his entire academic year has been overshadowed by what91裸聊视频檚 going on in Gaza,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淭here are a lot of students here at U of T who are experiencing this, and we feel that the administration themselves have been very negligent to our experience 91裸聊视频� simply because we have a voice that they91裸聊视频檙e not appreciative of.91裸聊视频�

The university has said the tents, banners and flags at the encampment are a safety concern, and had asked the students to leave by 10 p.m. Thursday. However, as the deadline approached, administrators went on to say that they didn91裸聊视频檛 intend to remove protesters if their activities remained peaceful.

On Friday, the university said it was 91裸聊视频渋ncreasingly concerned91裸聊视频� about reports of threats, discriminatory language and hate speech, as well as safety, trespassing and 91裸聊视频渙ther illegal activity.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚t remains unclear how many of the protesters are U of T students and how many are members of the general public,91裸聊视频� the university wrote in a statement in response to questions about the encampment.

91裸聊视频淯 of T students who contravene university policy risk consequences, including suspension, as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. All protest participants who engage in illegal activity are subject to consequences under Canadian and Ontario law.91裸聊视频�

In a message to the community, the university91裸聊视频檚 vice-provost of students, Sandy Welsh, raised concerns over fire safety and said there had been reports of protesters 91裸聊视频渄umping biowaste and other materials91裸聊视频� on the campus gardens and grass.

Erin Mackey, one of the protest organizers, said those who stayed overnight at the encampment were students, faculty members and members of the university community.

Mackey has said demonstrators were joining students at other universities in Canada and the United States in setting up encampments to call on their schools to disclose ties with the Israeli government and divest from Israeli companies.

91裸聊视频淚f (university administrators) want this encampment cleared, that91裸聊视频檚 what they could do 91裸聊视频� they could make a commitment to divest,91裸聊视频� she said Friday.

91裸聊视频淭his encampment, however long it lasts, whatever happens next, students will be continuing to make this demand and continuing to demand that you have to divest from Israeli apartheid.91裸聊视频�

Kalliop茅 Anvar McCall, a fourth-year student taking part in the protest, said they were ready to stay 91裸聊视频渓ong term.91裸聊视频�

While there are some challenges in camping out, those aren91裸聊视频檛 important, McCall said.

91裸聊视频淭his isn91裸聊视频檛 about us. And we91裸聊视频檙e not asking the community members or listeners here to stand in solidarity with us 91裸聊视频� we91裸聊视频檙e asking you to stand in solidarity with Palestine.91裸聊视频�

The International Court of Justice is investigating whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza, with a ruling expected to take years. Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused the court of bias.

Israel91裸聊视频檚 campaign in Gaza was launched after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 men women and children hostage in October. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

The war has wreaked vast destruction and brought a humanitarian disaster with several thousand Palestinians in northern Gaza facing imminent famine, according to the United Nations.

Alejandro Paz, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto and a member of the Jewish Faculty Network, said the students protesting were 91裸聊视频渘ot obstructing anyone91裸聊视频� but rather learning and thinking together outside the classroom or lab.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a little bit weird for the president of the university not to be willing to come here and engage and see what a remarkable set of students at the university that he91裸聊视频檚 president of,91裸聊视频� Paz said. 91裸聊视频淭his is really exciting. Students are taking their education extremely seriously.91裸聊视频�

Pro-Palestinian activists have also set up tents at McGill University in Montreal, the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver.

The University of Manitoba said it is aware of a planned three-day encampment at its Fort Garry campus in Winnipeg next week.

By Friday, the encampment at McGill91裸聊视频檚 downtown campus had grown steadily from a few tents to several dozen surrounded by metal fencing. But protester Ali Salman, 19, said there is 91裸聊视频渘o plan91裸聊视频� to grow it beyond the 100 people he said are camping overnight.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e had hundreds of people saying 91裸聊视频榳e want to camp,91裸聊视频� but since we are not growing the camp we couldn91裸聊视频檛 let them in.91裸聊视频� One hundred campers, he said, 91裸聊视频渋s more than enough.91裸聊视频�

Salman, a Concordia University political science student, has been at the site since the first tents went up last Saturday. If the encampment grows any bigger, he said, the activists will start having problems managing supplies and taking care of everyone.

91裸聊视频淏ut if we see there is no communication with McGill, then we might reconsider,91裸聊视频� he said, referencing the demands he and other protesters have made to the university.

Quebec Premier Fran莽ois Legault on Thursday said any encampments at McGill would need to be taken down. However, Salman said he has seen no desire on the part of the police or the city to dismantle the encampment, adding he and other protesters will stay there all summer if needed to ensure their demands are met.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the encampments at an unrelated news conference in Hamilton on Friday and emphasized the need to balance the rights of protesters and those of others on campuses.

91裸聊视频淚 think we have to remember what universities are 91裸聊视频� universities are places of learning, universities are places where freedom of speech, the freedom of ideas, the challenge of debate, of dialogue, of discussion about how to shape the world, how to see the world 91裸聊视频� are a core part of what campuses are all about,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淎t the same time, we need to make sure that as part of that everyone can feel safe on campus, whether you91裸聊视频檙e a Jewish student, whether you91裸聊视频檙e Palestinian, whether you have strong feelings on one side or the other. And on that we have to trust both universities to manage their campuses right, and local police of jurisdiction to do their work to make sure that everyone is safe.91裸聊视频�

Fakiha Baig and Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press