Montreal police (SPVM) were called late Monday night to intervene after protesters attempted to tear down the Queen Victoria statue at Victoria Square.
This comes days after demonstrators set up a pro-Palestinian encampment in the area, a first in a public space in Montreal.
According to Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant, officers patrolled the area and stopped the people trying to demolish the statue, but there were no attempts to dismantle the encampment.
Encampment organizers meet media
Protesters at a pro-Palestinian encampment in downtown Montreal meet the media (CTV News / Olivia o’Malley)
The “Divestment for Palestine” collective was set up at Victoria Square to demand the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) “immediately divest its $14.2 billion in investments in 87 companies complicit in the Israeli occupation.”
Organizers of the encampment met the media Tuesday morning, as Montreal riot police stood nearby.
The group is also calling for Quebec’s Tel Aviv office to be shut down because “increasing trade relations and diplomatic cooperation with Israel legitimizes the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.”
It also expressed its “unconditional solidarity” with the encampment at McGill University.
Montreal police spokesperson Sabrina Gauthier said police are keeping an eye on the encampment because two counter-protests are expected to occur at the site on Tuesday.