Pro-Palestinian protesters at UQAM agree to dismantle encampment, say demands met

One of the activist groups involved with the encampment said a resolution adopted by the university is a historic victory after part of the campus was occupied for three weeks.

Pro-Palestinian protesters at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) say they will dismantle their encampment by the end of next week after the university agreed to many of their demands.

One of the activist groups involved with the encampment said a resolution adopted by the university Wednesday is a “historic victory” after part of the university’s campus was occupied for nearly three weeks.

The resolution adopted unanimously during a special meeting of the school’s board of directors calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and condemns any attack on educational institutions in the Palestinian territories.

The university also pledges it will ensure it holds no direct investments in companies profiting from weapons manufacturing and will not enter academic agreements with other universities, including in Israel, that don’t respect international humanitarian law.

On Monday, Quebec Superior Court granted the university a partial injunction against the protesters who have set up about 40 tents in the inner courtyard of its science complex.

The judge ruled that safety measures needed to be put in place at the site, including prohibiting protesters from installing tents and other material within two metres of campus buildings.