Students occupy a very limited space on the McGill University campus and demonstrate peacefully to denounce an alleged genocide. We understand that they are illegally occupying private space. But should we not, in the current circumstances, favor the right to demonstrate rather than intervening with the police to dismantle the protest camp? Ministers Déry and Bonnardel requested, on Tuesday, the dismantling of the encampment, even before the Superior Court heard a request for an injunction on this subject. The judgment rendered Wednesday, very well founded in fact and in law and rejecting the request for an injunction, should have given political stakeholders pause. The violence that UCLA subsequently experienced, following the police intervention, should have concerned them. A representative of the SPVM this morning explained that, for the moment, dismantling by force was not on the agenda. We favored dialogue. But soon after, I heard Prime Minister Legault openly requesting the intervention of the police to carry out the dismantling. Really, as a lack of judgment in such circumstances, we couldn’t do better. Let’s hope that the head of the SPVM will be able to resist and that he and his men will not be dragged into a useless escalation.
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