Achi news desk-
Montreal police (SPVM) used tear gas to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters at McGill University after they barricaded themselves in the administration building as part of a “global call to action”.
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill said they entered the James administration building “demanding that McGill cut ties with genocide.”
Police in riot gear confronted the crowd outside the building and fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd shortly after 7:00 p.m.
The crowd reformed soon after and began using shelves and other items to build a barrier between them and the police.
The police then used tear gas and pepper spray about 40 minutes later and the crowd dispersed.
Montreal police respond to a protest at McGill University on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Kelly Greig/CTV News)
The group leading the occupation said that the university “suppressed every institutional channel through which the students expressed their desire for an anti-genocide policy.”
The protesters at McGill called on the university to delete financial holdings in companies linked to Israel’s war on Hamas.
The SPHR listed Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems and Thales as examples of companies they want McGill to outsell and compete with.
SPHR McGill spokesperson Rama Al-Malah told CTV News that the group is not preventing anyone from leaving the building and that there was no confrontation with security.
She said initially there were about 50 to 60 protesters who attended and they called for more to join them.
Police remained on campus and the crowd reformed outside the Roddick gates on Sherbrooke Street.
The police spokesman said that as of 8:30 p.m., police officers remained in the James building and talked with the protesters, who refused to leave, and that arrests may occur.
Pro-Palestinian supporters gather at McGill University on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Kelly Greig/CTV News)