Updated: McGill offers to meet with students in pro-Palestinian encampment

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McGill University says it is willing to meet with students from the pro-Palestinian encampment on its campus after a judge rejected an injunction request seeking to have the camp dismantled.

In an email to students and staff on Wednesday, school president Deep Saini maintained it is “non-negotiable” that the encampment, now in its fifth day, must be dismantled.

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But Saini committed to holding a forum with students to discuss their demands if they “permanently leave the encampment immediately.”

Earlier Wednesday, students at the camp erupted in cheers and chants as news trickled down that a judge rejected the injunction request sought by two McGill students.

Shortly after noon, a protester at the encampment took a megaphone to share a “fantastic announcement” with those on hand.

“The injunction has been denied!” she screamed as protesters erupted in cheers and chants of “Free, free Palestine.”

“We’re thrilled it’s been rejected. I think it shows we’re on the right side of history  —  we’re here to the defend the oppressed, we’re here for justice and for equality,” said Rima Khreizat, a recent Université du Québec à Montréal graduate taking part in the encampment.

“We’re hoping the next step now is McGill cutting ties with the state of Israel,” she added. “Otherwise, we’re going to be here because we believe in what we’re fighting for.”

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The exterior portion of the encampment, outside the fenced-in tents where people have been sleeping, had grown from Tuesday to Wednesday. Protesters have installed wooden pallets over the muddy lawn and erected several sun shelters, extending the protest’s presence on campus.

McGill University has already requested police assistance in handling the encampment, arguing the protest goes against school policy and the law.

The students, meanwhile, have insisted they have no intention of leaving the site until McGill meets their demands, regardless of the injunction’s outcome.

In her 10-page decision delivered Wednesday, Justice Chantal Masse said there “was not a sufficient demonstration of urgency” in the request to grant it.

Lawyers against the injunction had argued that only two students were making the request, the school’s exam period is over and that the request sought an order that involved more than 100 buildings owned by McGill.

Masse also asked that the two sides talk together and be careful with what language they use during the protest.

“We’re really excited. I wouldn’t personally say we were surprised considering the (baseless) claims” in the injunction, said Concordia student Ari Nahman, a member of Independent Jewish Voices who has been staying in the camp since Saturday.

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“It reminds us that we are capable, when we unite together, to sometimes have the legal system vouch for us,” Nahman added.

Students began setting up the encampment on Saturday, on the lower part of McGill’s downtown campus. It has steadily grown and now counts roughly 75 tents in addition to the canopies and tarps surrounding it.

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 has 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.

Jérôme Charaoui, a Montrealer who stopped by to support the protest Wednesday morning, said there is a “major disconnect” between the way the university has characterized the encampment and what he witnessed in person.

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“I fear the administration is seeking to paint a different picture from what’s actually going on,” Charaoui said, “because of their intention to not deal with the (students’) demands but instead use force to silence their voices.”

Daniel Schwartz, an assistant professor in McGill’s department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, echoed the sentiment.

“As a Jewish professor, I take all accusations of antisemitism really seriously,” Schwartz said from the encampment. “But I find what McGill has issued as their statements and accusations of antisemitism borderline offensive.”

Schwartz said some of his students have been sleeping in the encampment since the weekend and he wanted to show them his support on Wednesday.

He urged the university to negotiate with the students about their demands.

“It would be a very, very bad idea to involve the police at this particular moment,” Schwartz added. “The university should know that and know that’s not the direction to take things.”

Montreal police have acknowledged the force has received McGill’s request for assistance, but say they are considering the approach to take.

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“The SPVM is following how the situation is developing and evaluating all possible avenues,” spokesperson Antony Dorelas said Wednesday.

“Our role is to maintain peace and public safety. Of course, if there are criminal infractions we will adapt our strategy,” Dorelas added, “but we are really favouring a peaceful resolution in this case.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she trusts the city’s police force in handling the situation.

“I have full confidence that the police will act with diligence, with balance, to do it in a way that will be respectful of the people who are there and who are peaceful,” Plante said. “There will be no SWAT teams descending on peaceful protesters.”

Graham Carr, president of Concordia University, where pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students clashed in November, said there’s “a lack of real dialogue” on university campuses in part because society in general is polarized.

“Universities must be a place where ideas can be freely exchanged,” he said at a Montreal Council on Foreign Relations event Wednesday. “But it’s not just a place to express yourself. It has to be a place where you listen to people who don’t share your point of view.”

Jacob Serebrin, Paul Cherry, René Bruemmer and Andy Riga of the Montreal Gazette contributed to this report.

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