The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) will investigate claims of injuries during recent campus protests in Alberta, according to the province.

On Friday night, Calgary police used force, including tear gas and flash-bang detonations, to disperse a remaining crowd before dismantling an encampment. On Saturday morning, Edmonton police also moved in on a camp at the University of Alberta.

Several different groups have been critical of the tactics used by Calgary police in their eviction of the protesters, who had been trespassed by the University on Friday. University of Calgary officials said that people were free to protest but could not put up physical structures or camp on the site.

“We strongly condemn the Calgary police’s excessive use of force towards what was a peaceful protest,” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, in a prepared statement.

“No police force should abuse its powers to suppress free speech and shut down peaceful protests.”

Independent Jewish Voices Calgary also issued a statement on the dismantling of the encampment. That group is calling for an independent investigation into the action of the police and the University of Calgary’s decision to involve police in the protest.

“As a grassroots Jewish peace advocacy group, we supported the student encampment in their commitment to utilizing non-violent protest to engage the university in a conversation about divestment from funds that support Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” their statement read.

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld defended police tactics, saying that once the site fortification began with things like wood pallets, their response escalated.

“Let me be super clear. Anybody that was there, at the end when those munitions were deployed were not surprised that they were deployed,” Chief Neufeld said.

“They had ample opportunity to leave. So, if you were there at the end, you were there, because you wanted to, and you were not going to remain there.”

Review of the Calgary police actions

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters on Monday that she believes universities are typically a place where students and faculty can question and express their opinions.

“I think we have to respect people’s charters Charter rights,” she said.

“I think the other thing to recognize here is that the university engaged with Calgary Police Service and the response that the police took was theirs.”

Mayor Gondek expects that there would be further questions on the police response from the Calgary Police Commission when they meet this month.

“I know there’s a lot of folks that want to understand why their response was the way that it did roll out,” she said.

“People are wondering if there was anything that provoked it, and not having been there, I don’t know.”

Mayor Gondek also hoped that University officials continued to stay in contact with student groups on the matters.

Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in Question Period on Monday that the government has asked ASIRT to look into claims of injuries in the takedown of encampments.

Late Monday, Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis confirmed that they have asked ASIRT to investigate.

“Alberta’s government is aware that allegations have been made by campus protest participants related to potential injuries sustained while police were enforcing trespass laws,” he said in an emailed statement.

“We have asked the Director of Law Enforcement to have ASIRT review these claims. Should allegations of serious injury be substantiated, ASIRT will investigate those claims further.”