CAQ ministers denounced Montreal’s “wait-and-see” attitude on Wednesday regarding the issue of pro-Palestinian camps established in the metropolis. A member of the city’s executive committee responded by saying he was surprised by these comments.
“We are beginning to see the consequences of this passive approach. We expect all political leaders to denounce the excesses and the actions of occupation of public territory,” said the Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, on the social network X.
On the same platform, Robert Beaudry, a member of the city’s executive committee, said he was “very surprised” to read this post by Mr. Bonnardel. “Montreal deals with social crises every day. Fewer tweets and more support would be appreciated,” he wrote. He added that the police were doing a “colossal job to maintain the security of Montreal in a difficult international context.”
In his post, Mr. Bonnardel shared a video showing the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) building covered in paint. The minister made the connection with the pro-Palestinian camps. However, the Montreal Police Department said it does not yet know who committed this act. An investigation is underway to determine who did it.
Since the end of June, tents have been erected in Victoria Square in Montreal. The protesters are demanding that the CDPQ renounce “its $14 billion investment in 87 companies identified as complicit in the genocide […] of the Palestinian people.”
Two months earlier, protesters pitched tents on the grounds of McGill University, demanding that McGill and Concordia cut financial ties with companies they say are “profiting from the genocide” in Gaza.
On the social network X, the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, argued that the camps should be “dismantled”.
Further details will follow.