Pro-Palestinian activists fly a flag in an encampment set up on McGill University's campus in Montreal, Monday, April 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
MONTREAL – A Quebec judge has rejected a request for an injunction against an encampment erected by pro-Palestinian activists on the McGill University campus.
Two students at the Montreal university had asked Quebec Superior Court to order protesters to move at least 100 metres from school buildings, saying their presence had created an environment of aggression and left them feeling unsafe.
Justice Chantal Masse ruled today that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that their access to the school was being blocked or that they would be unable to write their final exams.
Masse said that while some of the slogans and statements attributed to the protesters are “troubling,” there’s no indication that they constitute direct threats towards the students.
Several dozen tents have been pitched on the school grounds since Saturday, following a wave of similar protests on campuses across the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
The judge said that while the campers are illegally occupying the grounds where they’re camping, it’s premature to conclude that the situation can’t be resolved non-violently through progressive police intervention.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2024.
