“We are not here to achieve a compromise. […] We would like to leave the camp, but we want to see concrete actions,” says Ari Nahman.
Ari Nahman, who has lived in Montreal all his life and studies at Concordia University, is one of the pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the McGill encampment, and has slept there every day except one.
Ari is a Jewish person, goes to synagogue regularly and also espouses the Palestinian cause. They* also wear a necklace with the Star of David (symbol of the Jewish religion) and a Palestinian keffiyeh. “It’s important to see them both together. I grew up with a lot of diversity around me. I was made aware of the Palestinian cause. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University, a few days ago
They support the four major demands of the McGill camp. The demonstrators are essentially asking McGill and Concordia universities to:
- Sell their investments in arms companies that have contracts with Israel;
- Defend the right to demonstrate on campus;
- Denounce what demonstrators call “genocide” in Palestine;
- Demonstrate greater financial transparency on their investments.
“Universities have been very quick to condemn Russia, but they have a harder time naming the fact that [ce qui se passe en Palestine] is genocide,” said Ari Nahman, who is a member of Independent Jewish Voices, an organization that promotes justice and peace for all in Israel and Palestine.
The use of the expression “genocide” to refer to what is currently happening in Palestine is debated.
What is genocide? According to the Genocide Convention, any person who commits, with intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, any of the following acts is guilty of genocide: murder of members of the group, harm serious harm to their physical or mental integrity, intentional submission to living conditions intended to lead to their physical destruction, measures aimed at preventing births, forced transfer of children from the group.
The UN and Canada have not adopted the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions in Palestine. The International Court of Justice also did not settle the debate, but called on Israel to take “immediate measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza. UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese says there are reasonable grounds to believe the threshold indicating Israel has committed genocide has been reached1.
Since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas, the Israeli army has killed approximately 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza1. During the October 7 attacks, Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis, and more than a hundred hostages remain detained.
In such a context, the McGill protesters want their universities to stop investing in arms companies that have contracts with Israel, such as Lockheed Martin in the case of McGill.
PHOTO KARENE-ISABELLE JEAN-BAPTISTE, THE PRESS
Ari Nahman
There were several steps before getting to a camp. This direct action measure followed several months of petitions, conferences, and attempts at dialogue with management. We have now arrived at the camp stage.
Ari Nahman
“McGill wants us to leave before graduation [fin mai]. We want McGill to divest before graduation,” said Ari Nahman during our interview last Thursday, before the university announced its intention to request an order from the Superior Court for the dismantling of the encampment.
Ari Nahman, 24, who studies culture and religion at Concordia, argues that the encampment, which numbers around 130 people, is peaceful. We organize conferences there, we show films there at the end of the evening, we pray there. “On Friday evening, Jews pray around 7 p.m., then Muslims around 8 p.m. We take care of each other. It is a collective community structure. We have food, donations, activities,” says Ari.
Ari Nahman claims not to have observed anti-Semitic acts at the camp site, and believes that criticizing Israel or Zionism is not anti-Semitic.
We must stop making this amalgamation. Criticizing Israel and criticizing Jews are not the same thing.
Ari Nahman
Ari Nahman finds it difficult to argue with pro-Israel demonstrators. “I was called a jihadist this morning [à cause de son keffieh palestinien]. They don’t come to talk. They say to me: “Aren’t you thinking about the hostages?” Of course, I think about it. But I also think of Israel’s detention camps. »
According to Ari Nahman, there is absolutely a need for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. “Is it possible to have a dialogue between the two [camps] ? I think so, but it takes time to grieve. You need a break from the bombing to return to your community. Everyone needs to grieve. We have to deal with the trauma, and then we can talk. »
*Iel is the pronoun Ari asked us to use.
1. Read Rima Elkouri’s column “Anatomy of a Genocide”
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