Achi news desk-
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up a tent on McGill University’s downtown Montreal campus say they are better organized and prepared than ever as the protest continues into a second week.
Demonstrator Ari Nachman says the encampment has turned into a “tiny city” that includes dozens of rainproof tents, a library, a repository of donated supplies and makeshift wooden sidewalks to keep the mud away.
Today members of the encampment could be seen digging a shallow trench to drain the heavy rain, while others manned a tent that acted as a “free shop” serving hot coffee, food and rain gear.
Pro-Palestinian activists also set up tents at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, following a wave of similar protests on campuses in the United States related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Opponents of the encampments said the demonstrations were illegal and made some Jewish students feel unsafe, and both McGill and Prime Minister Francois Lego had asked police to help dismantle the tents in Montreal.
Nachman, a member of Independent Jewish Voices Concordia, says the students want to leave but won’t until their universities agree to cut off funds from companies protesters say support Israel’s actions against Palestinians.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 5, 2024.
