McGill University students return to class after tense summer

The return to classes for McGill University students has already been an eventful one.

A pro-Palestinian protest on Friday ended with a large section of the lower field being vandalized, the same spot where an encampment stood for much of the summer.

This year, there is extra security, and the usually wide-open and welcoming Roddick Gates are closed.

The 2024-2025 school year began this week, and some students say the encampment's presence last year is still top of their minds.

On Friday afternoon, several dozen students staged a walkout abruptly at 1 p.m. to protest the killing of children in Gaza.

For two hours, demonstrators protested peacefully until, police say, several of them started ripping up the freshly laid grass.

Montreal police (SPVM) responded, and the protests disbanded without arrest or injury.

"Vandalism is not a legitimate expression of one’s free speech rights, and McGill condemns such acts," the university said in a statement. "McGill will continue to support freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as long as such freedoms are exercised within the boundaries of the law and the University’s policies."

The SPVM investigation is ongoing, and arrests may be forthcoming.