Pro-Palestinian protesters who’ve arrange an encampment at Montreal’s McGill University say they’re no nearer to taking down their tents after meeting with members of the varsity administration.
Encampment spokespeople held a information convention after the meeting and mentioned the college didn’t present a transparent timeline or course of for meeting their calls for.
The protesters are demanding the college divest from corporations they say are “complicit in Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” and minimize ties with Israeli establishments.
The protesters fenced off an space containing dozens of tents on McGill’s decrease area on April 27, following a wave of comparable campus protests in the United States.
McGill didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, however mentioned Sunday that it continues to work “diligently and in good faith” with all events.
Last week, McGill president Deep Saini provided to carry “a forum with members of the McGill community” to debate their calls for, however provided that they took down the tents.
The representatives of SPHR McGill and Independent Jewish Voices, who refused to establish themselves as a result of they mentioned they feared harassment or reprisals from the college, mentioned Monday’s meeting got here after the scholars had submitted an inventory of clear calls for.
“This press conference follows a meeting with the McGill administrators where they had pledged to present a concrete proposal to the coalition, but they have failed to come back with a concrete process and a clear timeline,” mentioned the SPHR McGill member, who described herself as a Palestinian pupil.
The pupil mentioned protesters are “steady and determined to sustain and expand this encampment until our demands are met,” including that they’re open to persevering with dialogue with the varsity.
Encampment members have been joined on the information convention by members of the Mohawk Mothers, who’re from the Kahnawake Mohawk territory, in addition to supportive college.
Daniel Schwartz, an assistant professor in Russian and German cinemas at McGill, spoke on behalf of what he mentioned was a rising variety of professors who stand towards Israel’s army marketing campaign towards Hamas in Gaza.
“As McGill professors, we are strongly opposed to our university administration’s relentless campaign against the students who are working to stop the genocide in Palestine, and to advocate for justice by ending the occupation,” he mentioned.
The press convention was held shortly after Hamas introduced it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal. But the scholars protesting in the encampment mentioned their information convention was unrelated, including that their calls for concern divestment and never a ceasefire.
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