Updated: Dealing with encampment ‘is up to McGill’ and police, Legault says

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After calling on police to clear the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University last week, Premier François Legault Tuesday said he recognized that ultimately it is a decision for the university and the police.

“Concerning the McGill encampment, I said what I had to say,” Legault said in Quebec City. “Now, it’s up to McGill, the McGill direction, and the SPVM to choose the means and the appropriate moment to ensure that the law is respected.

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“I have nothing else to add.”

Legault was answering a question from Québec solidaire co-spokeperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois who ripped into Legault for saying last Thursday that the encampment is illegal and police should move in to dismantle it. He did say it would be up to the police to decide when.

Nadeau-Dubois and the other provincial opposition leaders have accused Legault of meddling and not respecting the independence of the police.

“When the premier plays sheriff like he did last week, when the premier gives directives to police, he is aggravating the situation,” Nadeau-Dubois said. “It puts oil on the fire.”

But Legault balked when Nadeau-Dubois accused him of backpeddling on his initial statement.

“That’s not what he said Friday and on the weekend,” Nadeau-Dubois said. “He said send the police, dismantle the encampment.

“It was a lack of respect for the separation of powers. Even the SPVM favours a peaceful resolution. Does the premier recognize he erred in the last days?

“I said what I had to say and I maintain what I said,” Legault responded. “Now it is up to the direction of McGill and the SPVM to assume their responsibilities.

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“I don’t recognize any error. I repeat and stand by this.”

Legault made the comments as the protest camp calling for McGill to divest from its investments in Israel entered its eleventh day with no end in sight.

Encampment organizers told reporters on Monday that a meeting with university officials did not lead to a breakthrough. The university has offered to discuss its investments with protesters on the condition they dismantle their camp, an offer the latter have flatly refused.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said Tuesday she has “complete confidence” in the city’s police force, which is monitoring the situation on campus. She said she is encouraging the protesters and the university to continue their discussions.

“The solution is definitely to continue discussions that were started by McGill University with the people who are on the site who are protesting and who have demands,” she said. “I think it’s a trademark of the city of Montreal to make sure that there’s spaces where people can agree or disagree but at the same time, it has to be done in the right way. So I definitely encourage everybody to continue to have those discussions, McGill University, the people that are there, and we’ll continue to monitor the whole thing.”

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The McGill encampment’s second week coincides with a new survey suggesting that while such protests can raise awareness of an issue, they have little or no effect on changing the policies being criticized.

Data published Tuesday from the Angus Reid Institute finds most Canadians believe pro-Palestinian protesters can generate attention for the plight of Gazans — two-thirds (66 per cent) say protest movements are effective at raising awareness of an issue. Yet there is doubt they will affect the policies and partnerships with Israel of their university administrations or governments. Forty-two per cent believe protests are effective at making institutions change their position; nearly half (49 per cent) disagree.

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Even fewer believe that protests generally move people from one side of an issue to the other. Sixty-nine per cent said protests are ineffective at “changing the views of those who initially disagree.”

Meanwhile, as university campuses across the country deal with encampments, the tactics of protesters are under intense scrutiny. Even for causes they support, Canadians say blocking major infrastructure is unacceptable. Many say protesters should not block border crossings (69 per cent), bridges or railways (71 per cent), or stop traffic in major cities (64 per cent). However, Canadians who have protested in the past six months and Canadians who identify as Indigenous are much more likely to believe these are acceptable tactics.

The encampment of about 100 tents at McGill University was subject to an apparent blockade of supplies on Monday. Montreal police continue to monitor the protest and have said their decision to intervene will be based on any threat to the safety of the public or the protesters.

With files from Philip Authier and Katelyn Thomas of The Gazette.

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