McGill considering ‘next steps’ as pro-Palestinian encampment persists

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Saying the situation at the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment on its property had “shifted significantly,” McGill University announced on Monday morning that it is discussing the “next steps” to deal with the situation.

“The number of individuals who have set up tents on campus has tripled since Saturday. We have become aware that many of them, if not the majority, are not members of the McGill community,” the university said in an email early Monday morning.

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The university also contends that it saw video evidence of “some people using unequivocally antisemitic language and intimidating behaviour, which is absolutely unacceptable on our campuses. We condemn this in the strongest possible terms and will act quickly to investigate.”

In its statement the university said that while it supported “the rights of our campus community to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly,” it did so “with the understanding that these must be exercised within the bounds of McGill’s policies as well as the law … We have been clear that these encampments violate both.’

The university said that when it spoke with lawyers representing the students about a timeline for removing the tents, the lawyers replied that the students “have instead indicated that they intended to remain on campus indefinitely.”

The university’s statement says its “senior leadership team is meeting now to discuss next steps regarding this matter and will provide an update on our decision within short order.”

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A Montreal police spokesperson said at 7:20 a.m. Monday that the force was aware of university’s announcement and that officers were monitoring the situation at the encampment, adding that there had been no reports of any problems so far.

Images from the scene of the encampment an hour after the university issued its statement showed protesters had gathered for a meeting at the edge of the encampment.

The encampment began with several tents on Saturday afternoon. A ring of more than 100 young people formed around the encampment as they chanted slogans like “Palestine will live forever.”

The protesters also held up signs with messages like “McGill funds genocide.” The protest was peaceful and within sight of several police vehicles parked near the Roddick Gates on Sherbrooke St.

Just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the protesters on the grounds were joined by a large group that marched down Sherbrooke St. in a demonstration that was apparently planned in advance, as it was escorted by police officers on bicycles.

More than two dozen tents had been pitched at the McGill campus by Sunday afternoon, with a steady stream of visitors stopping by to drop off donations and supplies.

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Quebec Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry told reporters on Sunday that she is “very preoccupied and concerned about the situation on campus because we’ve seen what happened in the last couple weeks and days in the United States and Europe.”

Déry said she was in close contact with the university as well as Public Security Minister François Bonnardel.

“I don’t want the situation to degenerate, to get out of control,” she added.

In a video published to social media late Saturday, Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather called on McGill to dismantle the encampment, with the help of police if needed. He said that while people have a right to protest, encampments violate “pretty much every code of conduct,” including McGill’s.

“I call upon the McGill administration in public, as I have in private, to make sure this encampment is removed, according to their own rules, given that we need to make sure students feel safe accessing campus for their final exams that are coming up,” he said in the video.

This story will be updated.

With files from Paul Cherry and the Canadian Press.

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