A Quebec Superior Court judge has rejected a provisional injunction request by McGill University to remove pro-Palestinian encampment activists from its front lawn in downtown Montreal.
McGill University made the injunction request on Monday, asking Quebec Superior Court Justice Marc St-Pierre to authorize the dismantling of the camp.
In their request, the university’s lawyers argued that the encampment was unsafe, posing a risk of escalating tensions on campus and preventing McGill from holding its convocation ceremonies in its usual outdoor location.
But St-Pierre questioned one of the university’s lawyers, Jacques Darche, on Monday, about its claim that there was an “urgent” need to dismantle the encampment.
St-Pierre appeared unconvinced by Darche’s claim that the university’s convocation plans were “urgent” when compared with the rights of the protesters to demonstrate peacefully. McGill has found an alternative venue for convocation, at a cost of $700,000, according to the injunction request.
This story will be updated.