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The Montreal police used tear gas and batons to disperse a pro-Palestinian protest they say was blocking a busy downtown street Monday afternoon.
Video of the intervention circulating on social media shows officers in riot gear firing tear-gas canisters, as well as shoving and aggressively striking protesters with police batons.
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“When police intervened to disperse them, the protesters did not cooperate with the officers’ demands,” said police spokesperson Sabrina Gauthier.
“After several discussions on site, the officers had to use chemical irritant gas and batons to repel the demonstrators,” Gauthier added. “We had to intervene, as they were blocking a main street and not complying with police orders.”
Gauthier said there were no arrests or tickets issued; nor were any serious injuries reported, though protesters say otherwise.
A spokesperson for the encampment at UQAM could not immediately be reached Tuesday morning.
In a social media post, those behind the encampment denounced the police force’s “immediate crackdown” and said it came without warning or notice to disperse.
“Demonstrators were pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed and bludgeoned,” they wrote.
“Several people were injured, including head injuries (falls and truncheon blows), facial injuries (tear-gas grenades to the head and truncheon blows), minor wounds and contusions,” they added.
They said the protest was intended to be a “temporary zone of autonomy” for the Palestinian cause. It was used to draw awareness and invite people to join the student protests against Israel’s military response in Gaza.
“The disproportionate police intervention testifies to the police’s fear of the spread and popularization of the struggle for the liberation of Palestine,” they added.
The pro-Palestinian encampment at UQAM has been in place since May 12. There was a noticeable police presence around the site this weekend.
Another encampment has been in place on McGill University’s downtown campus for more than three weeks.
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