McGill Campus Clashes: Police Disperse Protesters from Administration Building

McGill University’s campus was the scene of confrontations between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and police Thursday evening after activists occupied the main administration building, the James Building.

The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal confirmed its officers entered the building to remove the protesters in the evening. It later stated the situation had not evolved and that demonstrators were still inside the structure. “The situation is under control, and a dialogue has been established with the protesters inside. Arrests will follow,” said SPVM spokesperson Sabrina Gauthier. University employees inside the building were also escorted outside “safely.”

The exact number of demonstrators inside the building is not yet known.

Outside, despite pouring rain and the sounds of drums, dozens of supporters gathered in solidarity with the building occupation, under the watchful eyes of numerous riot police officers from the SPVM.

When tensions flared between the two groups, the riot squad used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the protesters before charging the crowd, as witnessed by Le Devoir on site. Most demonstrators then retreated to the encampment occupying McGill University’s main campus entrance since late April, forming a new procession to march through the downtown streets of Montreal.

The demonstration was launched by the organization Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill. “The students barricaded themselves inside the building to take over the university, which continues to fund the genocide of the Palestinian people and be complicit in it,” the collective explained in a statement sent to the media.

The protesters are demanding McGill University sever its ties with Israeli academic institutions and divest its investments from military companies. With La Presse canadienne.