‘A laughable offer’: Pro-Palestinian encampment rejects McGill’s latest proposal
One of the groups behind the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill’s downtown Montreal campus has rejected the university’s latest offer , saying it falls far short of demands.
“McGill’s offer is an immaterial response to our demands and a blatant misconstrual of the negotiation process,” the McGill chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) said in a statement on social media Wednesday afternoon.
The group denounced McGill for negotiating “in bad faith,” “slandering” students in mass emails and “threatening legal, disciplinary and police intervention.”
It added: “Despite intimidation and abuse of power, our demand remains straightforward: we seek the immediate reallocation of funds from investments in unethical companies to ethical ones.
“This demand can be fulfilled using existing policies and regulations and it is not a question of procedural difficulties but rather McGill prioritization of investor and donor interests over ethical considerations.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been camped out at McGill since April 27. They want the university to withdraw investments from companies linked to what they describe as the genocide of Palestinians and sever relationships with Israeli universities.
In a statement Tuesday, McGill proposed to review its investments in weapons manufacturers and grant amnesty to protesting students.
McGill said the offer includes a review of direct equity investments in entities that earn most of their revenues from the production of military weapons.
In its message, the SPHR dismissed McGill’s offer to hold a board of governors vote on divestment.
“This is a laughable offer when the McGill administration has shown its commitment to its Zionist donorship and genocidal investment portfolio.
“By diverting their divestment strategy to committees and institutional mechanisms where true divestment cannot be reached, the administration continues to delay substantive action in hopes we forget or get restless.”
It said McGill’s plan also “fails to outline a concrete plan to sever ties with Zionist institutions and universities complicit in settler-colonialism, military research for Israel, and the normalization of Zionist violence.”
Protesting students would be prepared to re-engage in good-faith discussions but only when McGill offers “a proposal that tangibly and substantially meets the demands of the encampment, the SPHR said.
“Until then, we stand firm against an administration that represses its students and funds genocide. We reiterate what we have known for years: the McGill administration has the power and capability to reallocate funds away from weapons manufacturers; they are simply choosing not to do so.”
On Sunday, members of Montreal4Palestine, another group involved in the encampment, announced they were pulling out.
“We feel it necessary to distance ourselves,” the group said in a statement on social media.
“The current trajectory of the encampment and the objectives upheld by some individuals are not compatible with those of Montreal4Palestine,” it added, without elaborating.
“Certain groups… assumed ownership of the camp as a personal project, even if they were not present at the camp at all times.”
The group added: “Students who have faithfully spent nights in the camp to protect it have voiced concerns about being excluded from decision-making on the camp’s direction.
“On several occasions, Montreal4Palestine and dedicated (student) groups and dedicated individuals have had to rush to protect the camp while others were absent. Moreover, the actions undertaken without prior consultations with the campers directly impact the safety and well-being of those residing in the camp.”
Montreal4Palestine said it still believes in “the complete liberation of Palestine, the right to resistance, the right of return for all Palestinians and the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.”
Last Thursday, pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a McGill administration building . Outside, riot police used tear gas and shields against protesters carrying sections of scaffolding as a barricade. Windows were smashed and graffiti was sprayed on university property.
Fifteen people were arrested following an occupation of about six hours.
Montreal police chief Fady Dagher defended his department’s use of force , saying some of the McGill protesters hurled projectiles, including pieces of asphalt, at officers.
Tension on campuses has mounted since the Israel-Hamas war erupted.
The conflict started on Oct. 7 when about 1,200 Israelis were killed in an attack from the Gaza Strip by Hamas, described by the Canadian government as “a radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization.”
Since then, Israel has repeatedly attacked Gaza, with the Palestinian death toll surpassing 36,000, according to the Health Ministry of Hamas-run Gaza.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2024 at 5:07 PM.
