The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has concluded its investigation into Edmonton police’s takedown of a pro-Palestinian protest encampment in May at the University of Alberta.

Arthur Green, the press secretary for Public Safety and Emergency Services, confirmed on Friday that ASIRT had completed its “limited investigation” and found that none of the injuries sustained by the protesters had reached the “serious injury” threshold.

In a press release Thursday, EPS said Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis notified Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee that the ASIRT investigation has concluded.

“Using the definition of ‘serious’ regularly used by ASIRT when conducting police injury investigations, ASIRT found that the allegation of ‘serious’ injuries could not be verified,” an EPS statement said.

“The Edmonton Police Service cooperated fully with ASIRT during their investigation, which included providing evidence such as body camera footage where it existed.”

On May 9, protesters set up a makeshift camp on campus, determined not to leave until the university committed to their demands.

They demanded the university disclose its investments and cut all ties to Israel. They also wanted the situation in Gaza to be declared genocide, while calling on the federal government to end military contracts with Israel.

In the early morning hours of May 11, when the number of people in the camp was at its lowest, EPS officers in riot gear forcibly removed anyone who disobeyed their orders to disperse.

Videos shared on social media show police hitting protesters with batons.

Protesters said four students were injured at the time, including one who was sent to hospital.

Nour Salhi, a MacEwan student, was one of the organizers of the protest and says the outcome of the investigation is not surprising.

“But it’s still disappointing,” she told CBC in an interview.

“The statement that the injuries were not severe enough implies that the effects of the sweep on students, on faculty, on community members that are felt to this day are invalid.”

Regarding the person who was hospitalized, Salhi said, “We had a member hospitalized for his injuries and of course months later, thankfully, many of those injuries have healed, but the scars remain, whether they are emotional or physical”.

Salhi faces what is considered “serious” by ASIRT.

“For ASIRT to suggest that if the damage isn’t long-lasting, physically, they don’t care that it doesn’t warrant real reform and action on police policies is an inadequate response,” she said.

EPS said that since the issue no longer falls under the mandate of ASIRT, complaints related to the removal of the U of A camp would fall under the mandate of EPS’s Professional Standards Branch (PSB).

The EPS said that till date, the PSB has not received any complaint from the public that has status under the Police Act.

To be eligible, a citizen must have witnessed or been directly involved in the incident they report to the PSB, according to EPS.

The U of A said in an emailed statement that it does not have access to ASIRT’s investigative process or “any related information.”

Last Tuesday, Calgary police also said ASIRT was unable to verify allegations of serious injuries during the removal of a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of Calgary and that the police watchdog’s investigation is now complete.

Salhi said the protest group remains focused on its goals of ensuring full disclosure, declaring the situation in Gaza genocide and divesting both the U of A and MacEwan University.