McGill University announced Tuesday that it was ending negotiations with the organizers of the pro-Palestinian encampment set up for nearly two months on the grounds of its campus in downtown Montreal.
The university is now also planning disciplinary measures against participants in the camp. The demonstrators, however, accuse the university of trying to muzzle them and say they will not back down.
“Despite our renewed attempts to discuss in good faith, representatives of the encampment maintained that their demands would not be the subject of negotiations, while accusing the University of not wanting to engage in real dialogue,” wrote in a statement Tuesday McGill President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini.
“As it becomes clear that the talks are at an impasse, we are suspending them. »
Organizers of the pro-Palestinian encampment rejected McGill’s most recent offer last week. The university then proposed exploring divestment in arms manufacturing companies, disclosing more investments to include assets less than $500,000, and financially supporting students and scholars affected by the crisis in the Middle -East.
Calling the proposals “laughable,” protesters said they would not leave until the university ended its investments linked to the Israeli military and severed its ties with Israeli institutions.
On Tuesday, encampment spokesperson and McGill student Rama Al Malah said organizers contacted McGill last Friday asking for a meeting and got no response. She maintains that it is the university that is the “reluctant partner” in these negotiations.
“We will not be silenced and dislodged,” she told reporters at a news conference. “Our demands have been clearly expressed. We demand concrete steps towards divestment. The spokeswoman called the university’s threat of sanctions an “intimidation tactic.”
No more amnesty
Rector Saini had indicated on Tuesday that despite the failure of negotiations, the university would move forward with its latest offers. But McGill also offered amnesty last week to students and staff participating in the encampment, which is no longer the case.
“Our proposal having been rejected, these people will therefore be imposed all the sanctions prescribed by our policies,” indicates the rector’s press release. We are also exploring the legal measures available to us to recover costs associated with the damages we have suffered. »
Sanctions against McGill students who participate in the encampment will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but could include expulsion from the university, said Fabrice Labeau, McGill’s vice-president of administration and finance.
The university could also initiate disciplinary proceedings against staff or professors who supported the protesters, he added. McGill says the encampment “constitutes an unauthorized and illegal occupation” of his property.
Mr. Labeau said the university would contact members of the encampment within “a few days, if not a few weeks.” But he also said McGill still doesn’t have a clear idea of who or how many people were targeted.
“We are talking about individuals who go to great lengths not to be recognized and who are masked all the time,” he explained. But we will continue our investigation to make sure we identify as many as possible. »
Michelle Hartman, a professor at McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies, which supports the encampment, said she has not heard from the university about any disciplinary action. “We are truly troubled by the way the McGill administration has taken extraordinary repressive measures at this time when it is called upon to side with justice,” she told reporters.
“Totally unacceptable incidents”
The university claims that since its start more than 50 days ago, the encampment has given rise to “a series of totally unacceptable incidents which required the intervention of the police”.
The statement highlights the occupation of James Pavilion, the headquarters of the administration, by pro-Palestinian demonstrators earlier this month, which led to 15 arrests. It also mentions photos of Palestinian resistance fighters holding assault rifles that were used to announce what protesters called a “revolutionary summer youth program,” which began this week in the encampment.
“Despite our attempts to discuss with the people who represent the camp, we are seeing increasingly reprehensible actions,” says Rector Saini.
“Moreover, the expenses caused by the situation are only increasing, and our activities are being disrupted. Let us think in particular of the convocation ceremonies which could not take place on the lower campus of McGill University. »
Mme Al Malah said Tuesday that instead of focusing on the photos used to promote the summer program, people should instead focus “on the fact that our administration is investing in real guns and real weapons that carry out massacres and very real violence.”
Last month, a Superior Court judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction from McGill, saying the university had failed to demonstrate an urgent need to dismantle the encampment. The university is now seeking an interlocutory order to permanently expel the protesters, but the case has not yet been heard on its merits.
McGill also requested police assistance, but the Montreal Police Department said Monday that this was a civil dispute and that it did not yet have a legal basis to intervene.