McGill University restricting access to campus in preparation for Oct. 7 protests

It's been a year of protest, counter protest, and intense debate on university campuses and McGill is bracing for the possibility of more.

Citing multiple demonstrations planned to mark the Oct. 7 anniversary since the Hamas attack on Israel that led to war in Gaza, the university says it has hired extra security and has asked professors to hold classes online, if possible.

"Every other day there's some kind of tension going on. There's a hostile situation being created. So, yeah, not not the best feeling," one student on campus told CTV News.

In a statement, McGill said it has not received any threat to physical safety, though it is "limiting access to the campus during this week to prioritize the stable continuation of critical academic activities at a time of elevated potential for disruption."

On Monday, Jewish groups will hold a vigil outside McGill campus from 12:30 until 2 p.m. Around the same time, pro-Palestinian groups say they plan to march from Concordia University to McGill's Roddick Gates to demand universities divest from companies tied to the israeli military.

"I think our demand to the university is very clear. I think, by closing the campus, McGill is insisting on deploying its private mercenaries like they have done to students throughout the summer, and that the university itself is creating a campus of fear," said Said Hanan Zakari, a member of Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance (SPHR) McGill.

"On Oct. 7, we'll see demonstrations all over the world and not just in North America. It symbolizes a very important day for a colonized people everywhere."

Jewish groups are also condemning McGill's decision to close its campus.

"I would judge that as absolute cowardice, absolute cowardice," said Henry Topas, Quebec Regional Director of B'nai B'rith Canada, in an interview Wednesday.

"McGill and Concordia and the City of Montreal, starting with Valerie Plante, should be out there saying we will not stand glorifying hate, antisemitism and the atrocities which were committed a year ago."

Plante and the Montreal police service both declined interview requests on Thursday but said they will speak to the media Friday in preparation for the anniversary of Oct. 7th.