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The pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University enters its fifth day on Wednesday against the backdrop of a looming court decision on whether it should be dismantled.
The exterior portion of the encampment, outside the fenced-in tents where people have been sleeping, grew from Tuesday to Wednesday.
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Protesters have now installed wooden pallets over the muddy lawn and erected several sun shelters, extending the protest’s presence on campus.
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“We’re not leaving here until our demands are met,” Concordia University student Zeyad Abisaab had said on Tuesday afternoon. “This is an indefinite encampment.”
McGill University has already said it has requested police assistance in handling the encampment, arguing the protest goes against school policy and the law. A single police car kept watch on the site early Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, a lawyer representing two McGill students was in court Tuesday requesting an order to have the encampment dismantled and a ban on protests within 100 metres of any of the school’s buildings.
A judge is expected to rule on the request Wednesday.
The protest is meant to bring together students from different Montreal universities in demanding their schools cut ties with Israeli institutions and companies in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
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 has said it’s 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.
Students began setting up the encampment on Saturday, on the lower part of McGill’s downtown campus. It has steadily grown since and now counts roughly 75 tents in addition to the canopies and tarps surrounding it.
The Montreal police have acknowledged the force has received McGill’s request for assistance, but say they are considering the approach to take.
“We are evaluating the various possible avenues and advocating for a peaceful outcome,” a police spokesperson said Tuesday.
This story will be updated.
Jacob Serebrin of The Gazette contributed to this report.
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