Pro-Palestinian encampment members say McGill's latest offer is 'laughable'

A person walks past the pro-Palestinian encampment on the McGill University campus in Montreal on May 13, 2024. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press) Ryan Remiorz

Members of a pro-Palestinian encampment who have been occupying part of McGill University's downtown Montreal campus since April say the school's latest offer falls far short of what's needed to get them to leave.

Several groups involved in the encampment issued a joint statement describing the latest offer as "laughable" and an "immaterial response" to their demands.

McGill issued a new offer on Monday that included a proposal to review its investments in weapons manufacturers and grant amnesty to protesting students.

The university said it also offered to disclose more investments to include holdings below $500,000 and to support Palestinian students displaced by the war in the Gaza Strip.

The encampment members say the administration continues to delay taking substantive action on divestment and that the university's latest offer contains no concrete plan to cut ties with Israeli institutions.

They say their demands are straightforward, beginning with the immediate reallocation of funds from investments in companies tied to Israel's military.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 13, 2024.