Back-to-back protests at McGill University leave students on edge

Back-to-back pro-Palestinian protests at McGill University have left students on edge.

Back-to-back pro-Palestinian protests at McGill have left students on edge.

Some say two days of heated demonstrations on campus have been disruptive and unsettling.

“I think that it’s a bit scary coming to school and having broken glass on the floor, or listening to my friends talking about how there’s exams going on and there’s noise,” said student Jasmine Dade.

They’ve also left their mark on the campus.

On Thursday, protestors threw paint on at least two McGill buildings, according to a school spokesperson.

Protesters started at Concordia University and marched to McGill with the goal of pressuring the board of governors at both universities to boycott and divest from Israeli institutions.

Montreal police say they also left graffiti on the walls at McGill and used smoke bombs.

There were no injuries.

On Wednesday night, some protestors smashed windows and painted the words “free Palestine” across the pillars of Roddick gates.

On Friday, some of the traces were gone but the tension remains.

“I mean the disruption is obvious,” said another student, Douglas Zhang. “Going to class, the hall is noticeably colder.”

Some support the protesters’ cause, but not their actions.

One woman said: “When you’re going to protest with signs, music and dancing, I completely agree with that. But when it comes to gestures that are sometimes not socially accepted, that can devalue our reasoning and philosophy.”

A police spokesperson adds officers have to balance intervention with safety.

“If there’s too many people, we won’t put officers at risk… And to assure the safety of the protestors at the same time,” said Cons. Jean-Pierre Brabant.

Despite investigations being opened and police looking at surveillance footage, Brabant says there have been no arrests tied to pro-Palestinian protests on campuses this week, or over the last several months.

“There’s always investigators working on those cases,” he said. “But at this moment, there’s not enough evidence or information to locate the people involved in those kinds of mischiefs.”

In a letter sent to staff and students Thursday, McGill’s president said the university is clear and firm.

It will continue to reject the movement to boycott, divest and sanction Israeli institutions.

A spokesperson for Concordia echoed the sentiments, saying the school’s position has been consistent for years and has not changed.

“Boycotts barring contact with other universities and scholars would be contrary to the value of academic freedom that is a pillar of Concordia and all universities.