Court proceedings seeking to overturn the suspension of a Vancouver Island University student over her pro-Palestinian activities on campus have progressed, with two groups obtaining intervenor status.

Justice Jennifer Whatley approved the intervention applications for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and the B.C. Federation of Students in Sara Kishawi’s petition to B.C. Supreme Court on Monday.

The case could set a legal precedent for students ­sanctioned or punished for ­political activity by B.C. universities.

Kishawi graduated with a bachelor’s degree from VIU in 2024 and was then retroactively suspended for two years by VIU for activities that included protesting in a campus office building and accessing a building rooftop.

The Palestinian-Canadian student often acted as a spo

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