Pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill | “We will stay whatever happens”

McGill University on Tuesday requested the intervention of police forces to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment set up on its campus. However, in the ranks of the demonstrators, no one intended to leave.

“We are ready,” said a student with a masked face, summarizing well the state of mind of the activists encountered on the muddy terrain of the camp.

Despite the threat of police intervention, no one intended to leave the site, which tripled in size in the space of a few days.

“We expected it,” she said, adding that they had “trained” for any eventuality. “We will stay whatever happens,” confirmed a spokesperson for the demonstration, Ali Salman.

A few hours earlier, the university management announced that it had requested the intervention of the police forces in the absence of a resolution.

Since Saturday, around a hundred students have camped on the university grounds, demanding that the administration cut all ties – financial and academic – with Israel.

“We informed the participants that the installation of this camp was not authorized and gave them the necessary time to collect their belongings and leave the premises,” indicated the University in an email sent to the media.

A “heartbreaking” decision resulting from a “complex” situation, underlined the vice-chancellor of the university, Deep Saini. “This is by no means a decision I take lightly,” he added.

The City of Montreal Police Department, for its part, said it was evaluating “the different possible avenues”, recommending a “peaceful outcome”.

Tensions

The calm that reigned on the campus was momentarily disturbed when a man wearing a cap bearing the image of the Star of David entered the encampment, protected by barricades.

“This land does not belong to you!” “, he chanted, before being escorted outside.

“We will resist,” said one activist, who spent the night outside. “We will stay here until our demands are met. »

The administration is “complicit in genocide,” lamented the Palestinian student, adding that dismantling it would constitute repression.

Despite the rain, supporters continued to arrive with boxes of food. Of Palestinian origin, Yasmine Dalloul came to carry a tarpaulin to keep the demonstrators dry.

“I’m proud of them. They risk being arrested, being deported. I can’t stay silent and do nothing,” the young woman testified.

Teachers were also present to support the cause.

“Seeing a global movement led by young people in defense of the Palestinian people is very inspiring,” said Michelle Hartman, who teaches at McGill University.

According to her, threats of dismantling serve as a “distraction”. “Meanwhile, the administration is not responding to our requests. »

A request for an injunction filed

An injunction against the encampment was filed Tuesday afternoon at the Montreal courthouse.

According to a copy consulted by The Pressthe plaintiffs are two McGill students who accuse the demonstrators of creating “a dangerous, hostile and violent environment.”

They are asking the court to ban “any protest related to the demonstration within a 100 meter radius” of the university.

The Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, said she was “satisfied with McGill’s position,” recalling that the encampment is “illegal” under the University’s internal policies.

It is important to her to “ensure the safety of students”. “Now it’s in the hands of the SPVM. We will let the SPVM manage the situation,” she added during a press scrum at parliament in Quebec.

His colleague from Public Security, François Bonnardel, has “complete confidence in the judgment of the police”.

“People have the right to protest, people have the right to express themselves. Now, encampment is illegal. That’s what McGill is telling us. […] I have heard and seen comments […] of students who do not feel safe” and, for the government, “what is important is the safety of students and the population”.

According to the university, the campers did not make any proposals aimed at “advancing the dialogue.”

She also claims to have watched videos in which demonstrators make “blatantly anti-Semitic remarks”.

“I can say with certainty that there was no anti-Semitism, and I speak as a Jew,” replied an activist to The Press Monday.

Trudeau reacts

Without directly condemning the encampments and gatherings on university campuses, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted that these places must remain safe places for all.

“Universities are places of learning, places of freedom of expression, freedom of thought,” he said during a brief media scrum before question period.

“But it only works if young people feel safe on campus,” he continued. However, too many young Canadians of Jewish faith do not feel safe on their campus, and that must change. »

With Tommy Chouinard and Mélanie Marquis, The Press