'Divest now': Students launch encampment at McGill University
Several students have launched an encampment at McGill University as they call on the institution to cut financial ties with Israel.
Several posts on social media show protesters joining hands in a circle around several tents that were set up on Saturday.
Protesters shouted "Divest now" and "Free Palestine." Posters circulating online state students from McGill and Concordia University are participating in the event to send the message to university administration that students "refuse to let their universities be complicit in genocide."
Montreal police said some officers are on site to monitor the event, but say campus security is in charge.
The encampment resembles those in several U.S. cities in recent days with anti-war protests ramping up on university campuses calling for an end to the massacre of civilians in Gaza.
On Saturday morning, McGill sent a communique to students informing them that "encampments are not permitted on our campus."
It also noted that "encampments can create serious health and safety concerns while increasing the potential for escalation and confrontation, as we have seen at some colleges throughout the U.S."
When asked by CTV News whether or not the tents would have to be removed, a spokesperson did not answer.
A university spokesperson wrote in an email Saturday afternoon that its security officers are on site and that "We support the rights of our campus community to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly within the bounds of McGill’s policies and the law. We also have a duty to create a respectful environment that creates the optimal conditions for carrying out our academic mission and that protects the health and safety of our community."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.