Updated: Pro-Palestinian encampment says McGill’s proposal isn’t ‘a serious offer’
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School president Deep Saini committed to holding a forum with students to discuss their demands if they “permanently leave the encampment immediately.”
Published May 01, 2024 • Last updated 11 minutes ago • 5 minute read
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McGill University says it is willing to meet with students from the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus if the camp is dismantled, but protest organizers say the promise of a discussion isn’t enough.
The statement from the university Wednesday afternoon came around two hours after a judge rejected an injunction request that would have led to an order for the camp to be dismantled.
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But Saini committed to holding a forum with students to discuss their demands if they “permanently leave the encampment immediately.”
However, Ari Nahman, who has been staying at the camp since Saturday, said that while protesters want to have a discussion with the university about its investments in companies they say are linked to the state of Israel and its military, that discussion has to happen while the camp remains on campus.
“We’re not going to take a promise of a forum, of a discussion, of a potential divestment as a serious offer. We are here until we see a divestment,” said Nahman, a student at Concordia University and a spokesperson for camp organizers.
“It’s too bad that it’s being normalized that the administration could send security and police toward their own alumni, students and faculty, rather than having a discussion with us about their investments,” they said.
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Shortly after noon, a protester at the encampment took a megaphone to share a “fantastic announcement” with those on hand.
“The injunction has been denied!” she screamed as protesters began chants of “Free, free Palestine.”
“We’re thrilled it’s been rejected. I think it shows we’re on the right side of history — we’re here to defend the oppressed. We’re here for justice and for equality,” said Rima Khreizat, a recent Université du Québec à Montréal graduate taking part in the encampment.
“We’re hoping the next step now is McGill cutting ties with the state of Israel,” she added. “Otherwise we’re going to be here, because we believe in what we’re fighting for.”
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The exterior portion of the encampment, outside the fenced-in tents where people have been sleeping, had grown from Tuesday to Wednesday. Protesters had installed wooden pallets over the muddy lawn and erected several sun shelters, extending the protest’s presence on campus.
McGill had already requested police assistance in handling the encampment, arguing the protest goes against school policy and the law.
In her 10-page decision on the injunction, Justice Chantal Masse said there “was not a sufficient demonstration of urgency” in the request to grant it.
Lawyers against the injunction had argued that only two students were making the request, the school’s exam period is over and that the request sought an order that involved more than 100 buildings owned by McGill.
Masse also asked that the two sides talk together and be careful with what language they use during the protest.
“We’re really excited. I wouldn’t personally say we were surprised, considering the claims” in the injunction, said Nahman, who is Jewish and a member of the group Independent Jewish Voices.
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“It reminds us that we are capable, when we unite together, to sometimes have the legal system vouch for us,” Nahman added.
Students began setting up the encampment on Saturday, on the lower part of McGill’s downtown campus. It has steadily grown and on Wednesday counted roughly 80 tents in addition to the canopies and tarps surrounding it. Organizers wouldn’t say how many people are staying at the camp each night.
The offensive was a response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, in which more than 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
While McGill said it has seen evidence of instances of antisemitism at the encampment, the students involved have repeatedly rejected the allegation and note there are several Jewish groups involved in the protest.
Jérôme Charaoui, a Montrealer who stopped by to support the protest Wednesday morning, said there is a “major disconnect” between the way the university has characterized the encampment and what he witnessed in person.
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“I fear the administration is seeking to paint a different picture from what’s actually going on,” Charaoui said, “because of their intention to not deal with the (students’) demands but instead use force to silence their voices.”
Daniel Schwartz, an assistant professor in McGill’s department of languages, literatures and cultures, echoed the sentiment.
“As a Jewish professor, I take all accusations of antisemitism really seriously,” Schwartz said from the encampment. “But I find what McGill has issued as their statements and accusations of antisemitism borderline offensive.”
Schwartz said some of his students have been sleeping in the encampment since the weekend and he wanted to show them his support on Wednesday.
He urged the university to negotiate with the students about their demands.
“It would be a very, very bad idea to involve the police at this particular moment,” Schwartz added. “The university should know that and know that’s not the direction to take things.”
Montreal police have acknowledged the force received McGill’s request for assistance, but say they are considering the approach to take.
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“The SPVM is following how the situation is developing and evaluating all possible avenues,” spokesperson Antony Dorelas said Wednesday.
“Our role is to maintain peace and public safety. Of course, if there are criminal infractions we will adapt our strategy,” Dorelas added, “but we are really favouring a peaceful resolution in this case.”
For most of the day Wednesday, there was no visible police presence at the camp, except for a single car parked across the street. However, shortly before 8:20 p.m., several police vehicles were parked outside McGill’s Roddick Gates, including two minibuses of officers in riot gear.
As protesters noticed the police, the drums and chants in front of the camp stopped, except for a brief chant of “why are you in riot gear, there is no violence here.” Around 8:45 p.m., the police — who appear to have been in the area due to a nearby May Day protest — left without approaching the camp.
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“Universities must be a place where ideas can be freely exchanged,” he said at a Montreal Council on Foreign Relations event Wednesday. “But it’s not just a place to express yourself. It has to be a place where you listen to people who don’t share your point of view.”
The Gazette’s Jacob Serebrin, Paul Cherry and Andy Riga contributed to this report.
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