Student representatives and faculty gathered on Nov. 1 to address the recent arrests and increased police presence on campus.
On Nov. 1, the Concordia Student Union (CSU), faculty and student representatives gathered in front of the Hall Building on Concordia’s Sir George Williams campus to address what they called violent misconduct of police on campus.
A few days prior, the CSU and other student groups released a statement “accusing Concordia University of police brutality and racial discrimination.” These announcements follow recent arrests at Concordia’s downtown campus on Sept. 25 and Oct. 31 as well as the increased presence of security and police around campus.
“In the last few weeks our students have been arrested, detained, and even physically brutalized, all while conducting non-violent political demonstrations,” said Danna Ballantyne, the external affairs & mobilization coordinator for the CSU.
Julie Fortier of Concordia’s media relations team cited recent events and instances of vandalism to justify the increase in security presence on campus.
“Campus Safety and Prevention Services (CSPS) have increased their presence on campus this year because of the tensions on university campuses everywhere and incidents such as the one that occurred on 8 November 2023 in the Hall Building,” wrote Fortier in an email.
Vanessa Massot, the CSU’s academic & advocacy coordinator, said the press conference was a “plea to the Concordia administration to take seriously the issue of police brutality on their campus.”
Massot, along with many other students and faculty, said they are tired of attending an institution where they feel unsafe and outwardly attacked on a daily basis. Norma Rantisi, a professor at Concordia’s department of geography, planning and environment, expanded on this feeling.
“Concordia students have had a long-standing engagement with social movements and organizing for justice. For this, students should be commended, not repressed, their voices lifted, not censored, their activism supported, not criminalized,” she said.
The CSU’s press release claims that the issue of police presence and violence is not just limited to the campus and calls for the CSPS to abolish the practice of “following students off campus.”
“I am not aware of CSPS agents following students off campus,” responded Fortier, denying the CSU’s accusations.
After the CSU communicated with Concordia’s administration regarding the legality of these actions, Ballantyne said the university informed her that “CSPS can follow students off campus if they witness an alleged crime on campus.”
After the press conference, Ballantyne discussed the way the recent rise in police brutality and racial discrimination on campus has been affecting her as a student of the Black, Indigenous and people of colour community.
“It’s been horrific, the kind of discourse and sentiment that is being pushed by CSPS is actively putting me in danger, not only from them and the police but from other students,” said Ballantyne.
The press release calls on Concordia to “abolish five practices: following students off campus, conducting citizen arrests, physical apprehension and detainment, preemptively coordinating response with the police prior to political demonstrations, and facilitating police brutality instead of engaging in de-escalation.”
In answer to these demands and their feasibility, Fortier said that CSPS agents prioritize de-escalation but do not tolerate criminal acts.
“SPVM is only called when necessary and in accordance with Concordia’s policies,” she added, “such as during incidents where the safety and security of community members are threatened or when criminal acts are committed on campus.”
