McGill University will file a new request for an injunction aimed at dismantling the pro-Palestinian encampment established on its land.
“McGill University is taking the next step and will file a request for an interlocutory injunction,” the administration announced in a press release, without giving an exact date.
As the owner of the campus, McGill University says it has the final say over the use of its land and campus. She claims to want to put an end to “the occupation of her property for an indefinite period”, specifying however that she does not wish to prevent demonstrations on her campus.
The Superior Court last Wednesday refused a request for a provisional injunction from McGill, which claimed that the encampment posed security risks on its campus. According to Judge Marc St-Pierre, the university failed to prove the urgency of intervening.
A first request for an injunction against the encampment, filed by two students, was also refused by the Superior Court because the evidence presented by the plaintiffs was too weak.
The administration assures that it remains open to dialogue with the camp organizers. “We intend to continue these discussions in good faith in order to find a solution,” added the university.
No shortness of breath at camp
“We will not be dissuaded, despite McGill’s attempts to stifle student voices,” commented a spokesperson for the camp, on the telephone with The Press.
The camp organizers participated in discussions with McGill “seriously and voluntarily,” according to the spokesperson, who is part of the Independent Jewish Voices (VJI) organization. “We presented them with a divestment timetable and ideas for concrete changes, telling them which companies to break their ties with,” she lists.
We are ready to dismantle this encampment if McGill listens to our demands and takes action.
A spokesperson for the camp
However, McGill’s recourse to a request for an injunction has “made relations much more difficult,” laments the spokesperson.