McGill University says pro-Palestinian encampment violates policies

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have set up tents on McGill University’s campus to demand the school divest from Israeli companies.

McGill sits in the riding of Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who says protests should be broadly protected, but they cannot be tolerated if they become violent, hateful or intimidating.

Administrators at Montreal’s McGill University claim they’ve seen video evidence of some pro-Palestinian protesters using anti-Semitic language and intimidating behaviour.

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

School staff say the tent camp violates school policies and the law, and many of the protesters are not members of the school community.

University leaders are discussing next steps after lawyers representing McGill students told them the protesters refuse to discuss a timeline to remove the tents.

The co-organizers of the protest include solidarity for Palestinian human rights in McGill and Concordia as well as independent Jewish voices in McGill and Concordia.

This comes as the University of Ottawa warns anyone planning to follow the lead of the student protesters in Montreal and elsewhere, that setting up encampments on campus will not be tolerated.

The school says peaceful protest is allowed in appropriate public spaces on campus but not encampments.