The war in Gaza led to a scuffle Wednesday at Concordia University.
According to the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA), demonstrators opposed a group of Jewish students who had placed posters of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 on a table. Protesters allegedly used an offensive term to refer to Jews, according to CIJA. It all took place at a pavilion at the corner of De Maisonneuve and Mackay.
Sarah Shamy, a representative of the Palestinian Youth Movement met on site by CBC, affirmed that it was rather a fundraising table for Palestine which was attacked by pro-Israel demonstrators, and that other demonstrators, pro-Palestinian, subsequently got involved.
The SPVM was called at 1:30 p.m. to assist the security agents, two of whom were injured, in addition to a 23-year-old student. A 22-year-old woman was arrested and released after promising to appear in municipal court. The police intervention lasted a little less than three hours, according to Caroline Chèvrefils, spokesperson for the SPVM.
“What we witnessed today at Concordia University is an undisguised manifestation of anti-Semitism,” Eta Yudin, vice-president for Quebec of CIJA, declared on X. If security and police had not intervened to protect the Jewish students, the day could have had a very different conclusion. We thank law enforcement for intervening, but it is time for university leaders to take concrete action and use every tool possible to ensure our universities remain safe for Jewish students. This must never happen again. »
The Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, for her part wrote on X: “Too many students fear for their safety, we cannot tolerate these excesses. I spoke earlier with the rector of Concordia to ensure that order is restored on campus. »