McGill says it will try to de-escalate standoff with camp before calling police
Montreal's McGill University says it will make efforts to de-escalate its standoff with a camp that's been set up on campus by pro-Palestinian activists before asking the police for help.
An update from the school late Monday warns that if the situation evolves further "beyond the university's protocols," it will have "a duty to request police support in order to protect the health and safety of all on site."
Dozens of tents have been pitched on the lawn of McGill's downtown campus, and the activists say they have no intention of dismantling them until McGill, as well as Concordia University, divest from all companies which they claim are "profiting from genocide."
McGill has said many of the activists, if not the majority, are not members of the school community and that it had seen video of some people using "unequivocally antisemitic language and intimidating behaviour."
It did not provide further details.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have also set up an encampment at the University of British Columbia's Point Grey Campus, and the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa have both warned that setting up encampments on campus will not be tolerated.
The encampments, which come just ahead of the end of final exams at McGill on Tuesday, follow a wave of similar protests across campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Encampment members have also demanded McGill divest from Israeli companies it says are "complicit in the occupation of Palestine."
They also want the school to cut academic ties with Israeli institutions.
UBC officials say they are monitoring the situation there and are reminding protesters to follow the university's policy and the law while taking protest action.
B.C. Premier David Eby says student leaders and the administration should balance the need for free speech on campus with the need to foster safe spaces, especially for Jewish students during a time where they need additional support to feel safe.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING 120 active fires burning across Canada, 30 are 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
A Toronto man killed his mother and decapitated her. His lawyers argue it wasn't murder
A ‘lifetime of abuse’ led Dallas Ly to snap and repeatedly stab his mother inside their Leslieville apartment in 2022 but he never intended to kill her, his defence lawyers argued during his murder trial in Toronto on Thursday.
Father charged with second-degree murder in daughter's stabbing death southwest of Montreal
A father has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 34-year-old daughter in southern Quebec.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.
The latest advice for expecting parents? Sign up for childcare as soon as you're pregnant
Canada's new $10-a-day child care program is expanding, but there's growing evidence that demand for the program is rising even faster, leaving many parents on the outside looking in.
'Worried he might be carrying a handgun': Legislative Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, claims he was harassed and intimidated
The Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature Randy Weekes has severed ties with the Sask. Party after accusing some members of harassment and intimidation tactics, including a situation he claimed saw the Government House Leader bring a hunting rifle to the legislative building.
Apple resolves FaceTime, iMessage outage reported by thousands of users
Apple users are experiencing an iMessage outage, reporting issues with sending and receiving messages, Downdetector shows.