McGill sent a private security firm on Wednesday to evict students and dismantle the pro-Palestine encampment that has been on its downtown campus since April 27. Police told CKUT they were on hand to ensure everyone’s safety. They made one arrest.
In an email to the campus community, McGill President Deep Saini characterized the encampment as “an illegal occupation that intimidated and endangered [its] community, violated [its] policies, caused serious property damage, created major health and safety risks, and fostered a steady escalation of violence.”
Campers, meanwhile, say there was little danger at the camp. They argue McGill backed pro-Palestine protestors into a corner by overturning student resolutions calling for arms divestment and academic sanctions against Israel.
CKUT spoke to campers and others at a solidarity protest outside the university on Wednesday, both about the decampment and the events that led to it.
