McGill University undertakes not to impose “any disciplinary sanctions” on the demonstrators who have occupied its grounds in downtown Montreal since the end of April, if they undertake to “discuss in good faith » to put an end to this pro-Palestinian encampment.
This measure will only apply to university students and professors who have taken part in this camp “before June 15”, a deadline that the establishment is trying to impose on the occupants of this camp. They are thus offered the possibility of leaving the premises without suffering disciplinary sanctions, even if the establishment deems this camp “illegal”, because it contravenes its internal policies.
McGill specifies, however, that this “amnesty” proposed in the hope of putting an end to this encampment will not be granted to the perpetrators of certain acts of “vandalism”, “destruction of property” and “harassment” which the university claims to have been a witness, “and who are currently the subject of an investigation”.
An investment review
Last Thursday, more than a hundred students and pro-Palestinian demonstrators barricaded themselves in the James administration building at McGill University, a mobilization to which the City of Montreal police responded in a muscular manner by proceeding to around fifteen arrests.
The camp erected on the university grounds remains in place. McGill also tried in vain before the Superior Court of Quebec to obtain the dismantling of this encampment, where the establishment has also repeatedly deplored the inaction of the police to put an end to this peaceful mobilization.
In this context, McGill University sent the occupants of this camp a series of new proposals on Monday evening which were posted online on Tuesday. At a time when demonstrators have been demanding since the beginning of their occupation the end of all McGill investments in companies associated with Israel’s military activities in the Palestinian territories, the establishment instead proposes “to examine, from the angle of social responsibility, direct participations of McGill University in companies deriving the majority of their direct income from the production of military weapons”. A report on the issue including recommendations to the university would be drawn up by a committee and made public within six months.
The establishment also undertakes to disclose the list of companies in which it has stock holdings of less than $500,000, information for investments greater than this sum being already accessible. However, it does not promise to change its investments to meet the needs of the demonstrators.
As of March 31, 2024, McGill University had investments totaling $535,531 in the company Lockheed Martin, an arms manufacturer. The establishment also included an investment of more than two million dollars in the company Safran, which supplies equipment to the Israeli army, as well as the company Thales, in which McGill invested nearly 1.26 million dollars. dollars.