McGill to ask for injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment

Lawyers for McGill University are slated to be in court to seek an injunction to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment that has been on its grounds since last month.

Lawyers for McGill University are slated to be in court Monday to seek an injunction to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment that has been on its grounds since last month.

In a judicial application for an injunction dated Friday, McGill says the encampment poses a "security, safety and public health risk" and has caused tensions to escalate on campus.

The filing cites "fierce verbal exchanges" between protesters and counter-protesters earlier this month, barrels of possible "human waste" on site, possible fire code breaches and the encampment's potential as a "magnet" for further clashes with counter-demonstrators.  

The protesters are demanding the university divest from companies they say are complicit in what they describe as Israel's occupation of Palestine, and cut ties with Israeli institutions.

The protesters fenced off an area containing dozens of tents on McGill's lower field on April 27, following a wave of similar campus protests in the United States.

The university is asking a judge to order the protesters to stop camping on or occupying its grounds and to authorize Montreal police to assist the school in dismantling the encampment if called upon.

McGill President Deep Saini issued a statement on Friday saying the university is committed to discussing the protesters' concerns in good faith, even if an order is granted.