Photos by Navneet Pall
Tag: protest
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McGill occupiers evicted
After almost 115 hours, the nine students still occupying the sixth floor of the McGill James Administration building were evicted by Montreal police Sunday morning.
The Occupy McGill movement started last Tuesday when 23 students assembled in the office of Deputy Provost (student life & learning) Morton Mendelson to take a stand against the university administration’s decision to not validate the results of a student referendum.
The referendum, which took place in Nov. 2011, was in regard to the continued autonomy of campus groups CKUT radio and Quebec Public Interest Research Group-McGill.
The referendum questions asked students to confirm whether or not they supported the continued funding of the groups and if they agreed that the opt-out period, in which students can choose to not pay fees to the groups, should be switched from online to in-person. Over 60 per cent of those who cast their ballots voted “yes” in the referendum.
Sami Fink, a McGill occupier, said that despite the eviction, the protest was not in vain.
“Occupy McGill is still a victory since we made the university use force to evict occupiers,” Fink explained. “It caught the attention that we wanted.”
McGill spokesman Doug Sweet explained that officers of the SPVM informed students Sunday morning that they had five minutes to leave and no charges would be pressed.
“We wanted to get services back up and running for Monday,” said Sweet. “We needed to get the building back in operation.”
Sweet went on to say that the university had denied occupiers access to electricity and washrooms in an effort to “persuade them to leave of their own accord.”
Despite the firm approach, the university administration did provide water to occupiers, added Sweet.
“We didn’t take any measures that would endanger the health of students,” he reiterated.
Following the eviction, a protest of solidarity occurred on Feb. 13 where students expressed their discontent with a new set of provisional rules issued by the university concerning how students will be allowed to protest in the future. Over 60 people were reportedly in attendance.
The Occupy McGill organizers first entered the James building to orchestrate a “surprise resignation party” planned for Mendelson. Students peacefully started redecorating and preparing to celebrate in front of his office.
A second wave of about 20 students followed, but were welcomed by security who tried to stop Throughout last week, occupiers ran low on basic supplies and several students on the outside found creative ways to get around security. At one point, an estimated 40 pounds of food was delivered up to the sixth floor window via a pulley system.
As time went by, the second group stayed in the lobby and a third group of students started camping outside the building to support the occupiers.
Caitlin Mason, an outreach coordinator at CKUT, said the station was not directly affiliated to the movement but agreed on the principle that McGill denied a right to students.
“The occupy movement caught us off-guard,” said Mason. “We had reached a principle agreement with the administration an hour before students occupied the building. However, as a student organization we completely support the students’ freedom of speech.”
CKUT has agreed to another referendum in March, while QPIRG McGill has not chosen to accept the same deal.
QPIRG McGill board member Simone Lucas said the organization was “disappointed” with the way the administration has been treating students.
“This is a continuation of what has happened in the past,” she said, “student dissent met with punitive measures.”
Lucas said this is a clear indication of the administration’s unwillingness to listen to students.
On Feb. 11, QPIRG extended an offer to the McGill administration to engage in negotiations which include student protesters.
“We would like to have a dialogue with the administration and the occupiers,” said Lucas.
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‘The Internet is under attack’: protesters
Approximately fifty people gathered in Norman Bethune Square on De Maisonneuve Boulevard last Friday to protest anti-piracy legislation currently making its way through the House of Commons.
Many digital activists are up in arms saying that Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, could change the way people interact with the Internet in Canada.
Nadim Kobeissi, a political science student at Concordia, is a digital rights activist and organizer of the protest. He develops cryptography software and says there’s significant cause for concern should Bill C-11 be made into law.
“This sets a terrible precedent for the future,” he said.
Under the Conservative government’s proposed changes, saving a legally-purchased DVD to a computer would be illegal, he explained. He said even making copies of existing files for storage would be considered copyright infringement.
“The Internet is under attack,” said Kobeissi. “Even if you own something digital, you don’t own it anymore.”
Bill C-11 includes sections pertaining to copyright, performers’ rights, encryption research and non-commercial user-generated content, to name a few. Kobeissi said the extensive limitations are not actually protecting anyone.
“It’s not like we’re infringing on other people’s rights by unlocking an iPhone,” he said.
At the protest, volunteers were circulating a petition in association with Open Media’s online petition. So far over 37,600 signatures have been added to the site, which automatically sends a short message of discontent via email to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Industry Minister Christian Paradis, among others.
Scott Mc Farlane, a prospective Concordia student, was especially eager to add his name to the petition.
“I came to help support awareness raising,” he said. “The government is trying to take control of the Internet and they don’t care what people think.”
Ryan Marcoux, a Concordia psychology student, said this “SOPA-like” legislation could mean changes that will affect a lot of Internet users.
“Internet service providers will monitor our downloads because they will be held responsible to ensure no copyright material is being downloaded,” he explained. “I’ve done enough research to know [Bill C-11] is dangerous.”
The second reading of Bill C-11 in the House of Commons finished Friday and the bill has now been sent to committee for further hearings and possible amendments.
Hundreds of students yelled and chanted their way across downtown Montreal on Feb. 2 to protest against tuition hikes — and when they did, they made sure their voices were heard in both official languages.
In an effort to show unity between French and English schools in the fight against the proposed $1,625 increase in tuition fees announced by the Liberal government last March, more than 300 students from various Montreal CEGEPs and universities gathered at Concordia’s Hall building. From there, they started marching towards the Université de Québec a Montréal, shouting their way through McGill University and the Vieux-Montréal CEGEP.
“This protest is the outcome of several inter-university meetings we held at the end of last year,” said Rushdia Mehreen, formerly of the Graduate Students’ Association and member of the Mob Squad, a student group that has given itself the mandate of staging protest and demonstrations against tuition hikes. “In these meetings, we wanted to find out a way to build more ties between francophone and anglophone universities and CEGEPs.”
The idea of demonstrating French and English came shortly after the incident that took place at McGill University last Nov. 10, when several students faced police brutality after the massive rally that saw 30,000 students against tuition hikes flood the streets of Montreal. The group of protesters was attacked by anti-riot police and sought refuge in McGill premises where the police followed them and continued to fight them back.
The incident sparked the movement “We are all McGill,” inspired by the Egyptian movement “We are all Khaled Said,” a movement created in Jan. 2011 condemning police brutality.
Students from various schools in Montreal felt the need to express their support furthermore and decided to meet last December in order to find an effective way to demonstrate unity and to solve a potential miscommunication between francophone and anglophone schools.
“On s’en calisse [we don’t give a damn] about which language we speak,” exclaimed Frank Lévesque-Nicol, one of the event organizers and member of the Comité sur la lutte sociale of the UQÀM student union. “We have to put aside these futile language quarrels and go beyond these usual divisions. We are subjected to the same threat and we are fighting the same struggle.”
The slogan of Thursday’s protest symbolically alternated between French and English, with flyers reading: “Don’t fuck with notre éducation.”
When marching through the McGill campus, protesters honoured those affected by last year’s police brutality by chanting: “Who’s McGill? It’s our McGill!”
Some organizers joked by informally calling the group who organized the protest the “Anglo-Franco committee,” but Levesque insisted that the protest was organized by concerned students and was not to be affiliated to any group or association.
However, the wish to remain a grass-rooted movement slightly backfired for Concordia organizers as only a few Concordia students showed up to the protest, with the Concordia Student Union making no publicity of the event.
“I know very little about what’s going on today,” said CSU VP external Chad Walcott, former head of the Mob Squad, who was not participating in the protest. Walcott said the CSU was not entirely informed about the protest and that it was “purely a Mob Squad initiative,” adding that he still supported the protest.
Mehreen explained that the Mob Squad was an entity made out of concerned students and that it was autonomous from any unions.
Thursday’s protest came only a day after the UQAM Faculty of Arts and Science voted in favour of an unlimited general strike set to take place next March. A similar vote will take place at Concordia during a general assembly on March 7 where undergraduate students will decide whether or not they want to go on a general strike.
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Quebec students set to strike March 22
MONTREAL (CUP) — After a day-long meeting on Jan. 21 in Quebec City, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) have reaffirmed the intention to strike on March 22 to protest rising university tuition fees.
But first, the individual member groups need to seek approval from their constituents.
“We have the mandate to ask our associations to go on strike, but first they need to ask their members if they want to, and then we will be able to say the FEUQ is on strike,” said president Martine Desjardins, who made the announcement with FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin in Montreal on Jan. 23.
The date was chosen earlier in December to coincide with the timing of the release of the finance minister’s budget. Desjardins said that FEUQ, the student lobby group that is often a government negotiator, has not been invited to sit in on the pre-budget consultation meetings that are now taking place.
After walking out of the same meetings in December 2010, she said their calls have not been answered by the finance department: “We asked them to talk with us. But they won’t do it.”
Several associations are planning longer strikes at different times, confirmed Desjardins.
“We talked a little about the different waves of strikes that are going to be happening,” said Chad Walcott, VP external for the Concordia Student Union (CSU), which is a FEUQ member. “Whereas some schools are going to strike earlier in February, and others later in March, [there’s] a wave of pressure that’s moving toward March 22 and the end of the academic year for that last push.”
On its own, the CSU is planning a school strike for March 26 to 29, a city-wide Montreal protest on March 1 and a sleep-in at one of Concordia University’s 24-hour libraries in February.
“I don’t think anyone’s officially ready to go on strike, but some departments are starting to talk about it,” said Walcott, who is working on a booklet for Concordia students who are considering strike action.
Desjardins added that a protest is also planned for Feb. 14, when the National Assembly returns from a break, and stunts will be staged at different campuses on a weekly basis up until March 22.
“There [are] a few things that we have to do, and it won’t be easy, and we know that,” said Desjardins. “But people are willing to do this and are very optimistic.
“We can make history [with this]. We held the second-biggest protest [in Quebec] on the 10th of November,” she added, recalling last semester’s day of action, when about 20,000 students marched to Premier Jean Charest’s downtown Montreal office. The day culminated with a handful of arrests and a confrontation between riot police and students on McGill University’s campus.
Charest has said the government will go through with gradual tuition hikes, beginning in fall 2012, to culminate in a total rise of $1,625.
Quebec permanent residents currently pay the lowest tuition fees in Canada, but FEUQ and FECQ, which represent about 200,000 students in universities and CÉGEPs across the province, assert that further tuition hikes could harm students’ finances.
The education ministry could not be reached for comment.
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To strike or not to strike
March 7 will be the day that undergraduate students decide on Concordia’s role in the province-wide battle against tuition fee hikes in Quebec.
The Concordia Student Union has passed a motion setting March 7 as a date for a general assembly for a strike mandate expected to last from March 26 to 29.
“This is pretty much, the only card left that the students have in their hands in Quebec,” said CSU president Lex Gill at at last Wednesday’s council meeting. While Gill admitted that a strike will not be easy, she described it as a necessary step against tuition fee increases in the province.
This week, the CSU will renew their campaign against the hikes, launching an information campaign leading up to the assembly in March about the pros and cons of going forth with a strike, including flyers, posters, booklets and speeches.
“It’s really important to us that moving towards March 7, each student is fully aware of what they are going to be voting on and what impacts it will have on them,” said VP external Chad Walcott at the meeting.
Other events in the campaign include a one week sleep-in at the library to raise awareness about the tuition increases, fax and phone jams and F#ck Tuition Tuesdays at Reggie’s Bar in the Hall Building.
“To talk about a strike at this point, frankly if we weren’t I would be really worried,” said Gill, who reminded council that there are other student unions in Quebec planning strikes as early as February.
Walcott said strikes are proven to be effective in putting pressure on the government.
“We’re in a position to have a serious impact on our province,” he added in an interview.
During the meeting, some concerns were raised with regards to international students, and the potential consequences of their participation in long-term demonstrations. The CSU, however, insisted that international students who choose to strike will not run risk of being deported.
Concordia’s Mob Squad is also planning for future demonstrations, and teamed up with McGill to hold a winter training camp for interested activists last weekend.
Concordia students first protested the hikes on Nov.10, joining tens of thousands of students marching against the extra $1625 worth of tuition fees proposed by the Jean Charest government. The province currently plans to increase the cost of university tuition $325 yearly over the next five years.
The next province-wide demonstration is set for March 22.
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Artists protest Bonaventure police shooting
Artists and activists gathered inside the Bonaventure metro station last Wednesday to remember Farshad Mohammadi, the 34-year-old homeless man who was shot and killed by Montreal police at the station earlier this month. Organized by Stefan Christoff and the Howl Arts Collective, protesters spoke out against Mohammadi’s death, describing the incident as an act of police brutality. Demonstrators also sang songs and performed poetry at the vigil.
Police opened fire on Mohammadi on Jan. 6 as he ran away after stabbing one of the officers in the station. Mohammadi’s death has sparked debate in the city about the treatment of Montreal’s homeless population. The Old Brewery Mission estimates that there are nearly 30,000 homeless people in the Greater Montreal Area.
The end of last semester saw the creation of an Office of the Treasurer within Concordia University’s administration and the appointment of Marc Gauthier, former executive director of finance and business operations, to the position of university treasurer.
Gauthier was heavily criticized by student groups in 2010 for his role in the renewal of the university’s exclusive food and beverage contract with PepsiCo. This resulted in Concordia student Laura Beach filing a mise en demeure, a notice that a legal challenge could be pursued, against Gauthier along with Johanne De Cubellis, associate director of Hospitality Concordia and Michael Di Grappa, former Concordia VP services and current VP administration and finance at McGill.
Co-founder of TAPthirst, an environmental initiative promoting tap water over bottled, Beach cites a lack of student consultation as the motivation behind her legal warning. She had been in talks with Gauthier and De Cubellis about an alternative option to renewing the PepsiCo contract.
“I gained 35 signatures of faculty members from every faculty on campus as well as hundreds of student signatures towards the negotiation of a more sustainable food and beverage contract,” said Beach, who is now an undergraduate representative on the Board of Governors.
She claims she was promised by Gauthier and De Cubellis in a verbal agreement that no negotiations regarding the food and beverage contract would take place until Beach, representing TAPthirst, the university, and a representative from PepsiCo all sat down.
But things ended up taking a different turn, according to Beach.
“In September it became clear that negotiations had taken place already with PepsiCo. Not only that, but they’d already signed an agreement in principle and they were about to sign a contract,” said Beach.
By October, students began to rally against the proposed contract. A protest was held at Norman Bethune Square and students staged a sit-in at the GM building just outside Hospitality Concordia’s offices. The university went through with the deal regardless, signing the exclusive food and beverage contract with PepsiCo on Oct. 29, Di Grappa’s last day at Concordia before leaving for McGill.
While Beach expressed doubts whether the Office of the Treasurer will have any direct effect on students, she remains concerned given her past experiences.
Sustainable Concordia, an opponent of the signing of the PepsiCo contract in 2010, declined to comment.
The Office of the Treasurer itself is a new concept at Concordia that came as a result of a business management decision. The position of university treasurer was created with the aim of “bringing together different financial projects at the university under a single managerial focus,” said university spokesperson Chris Mota.
In addition to Gauthier, Sara Deschamps, Maryse Picard, and Jean-François Baril will be working in the Office of the Treasurer as administrative assistant, administrator of the benefit portfolio, and corporate risk manager, respectively.
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Semester in preview
A new president
THE FACTS: Come April, Concordia may have a final candidate to replace interim President Frederick Lowy as president and vice-chancellor of the university. The presidential search committee is scheduled to meet again before the end of January to review and finalize a short list of candidates. The committee’s work is confidential, so no names have been released. However, university spokesperson Chris Mota wrote in an email that “a recommendation will be ready for the Board of Governors for April 2012 with the candidate to take office, ideally, as of August 1, 2012.” The university hired consultant Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. to pre-interview candidates.
WHY IT MATTERS: Other than being the highest ranking position at the university, the president’s office has seen enough controversy in recent years to deserve a critical eye. Concordia’s previous president, Judith Woodsworth, was dismissed by the Board of Governors in 2010, while her predecessor Claude Lajeunesse left office halfway though his five-year contract due to conflicts with the administration.
A general student strike vote
THE FACTS: The Concordia Student Union plans on continuing where last semester left off, launching a new campaign to protest the Quebec government’s tuition hikes and addressing the possibility of preparing for a vote to strike sometime this semester. While last fall saw some student participation in protests and rallies against tuition fee increases, CSU VP external Chad Walcott said “a student strike could be the next step in a Quebec-wide protest.”Walcott added that before anything can be done, “the movement will have to regain momentum” lost over the winter break. A demonstration set for March 22 is already in the planning stages and members of the CSU have put together a document outlining tentative plans to be presented at council on Wednesday.
WHY IT MATTERS: Tuition in Quebec is set to raise $325 a year over five years for university undergrads, and whether or not you agree with the increase, it’s ultimately up to students to decide whether Concordia’s undergrads will be going on strike for more than just a day.
A whole lot of general elections
THE FACTS: Break out the posters and in-classroom speeches: Concordia’s student associations will be gearing up for another round of general elections this spring. The Concordia Student Union, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations, and others will all be holding elections to fill their executive positions.
WHY IT MATTERS: Spring general elections should be anything but uncomplicated if last semester’s byelections are anything to go by, between the accusations of electoral violations, mistakes caught at polling stations, and the firing of two separate chief electoral officers. Not to mention the fact that last year’s CSU general elections resulted in the CEO disqualifying both parties, only to have his decision later overturned by the judicial board and CSU council.
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McGill student protesters forced off campus
(CUP) — Over 100 riot police stormed McGill campus on the evening of the Nov. 10 tuition fee protests, forcefully dispersing student demonstrators that had gathered in front of the James Administration building. Pepper spray, tear gas and physical force were used by police against demonstrators who were protesting the detainment and violence allegedly used by McGill Security against a group of McGill students who had occupied principal Heather Munroe-Blum’s office earlier in the day.
Fourteen McGill students claim to have been assaulted by McGill Security while they occupied the fifth floor of the James Admin for almost two hours on Thursday afternoon. The sit-in coincided with a 30,000 person-strong demonstration against tuition hikes in the province.
At 4:05 p.m., a group of approximately 50 students entered McGill campus after news of the occupation in the James Admin building reached the demonstrators.
Farid Attar Rifai, president of the Association of McGill University Support Employees, was one of the first people on the scene.
“I saw security … were rushing towards the James building, so I knew [the students] were already inside at that point,” Attar Rifai said.
He explained that, upon his arrival, all entrances to the building were locked, and security guards were positioned outside.
Some of the demonstrators took a megaphone back to the Roddick Gates, where they encouraged others to join them. “We’re in McGill, we need more people,” screamed one demonstrator. The crowd outside of the James Admin grew to around 200 people.
Reports of violence used against the occupiers by McGill Security reached those outside through text messages and phone calls. Demonstrators proceeded to form a human chain around the building, demanding entrance.
At roughly 4:50 p.m., four Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers approached the building from the Milton Gates and entered the James Admin through a back door, where students attempted to block them.
“When we heard the cops were coming […] we decided to delay them so people inside could have time to negotiate,” said Attar Rifai.
Deputy provost of student life and learning Morton Mendelson confirmed that he had been inside the James Admin throughout the demonstration.
“There were four police who came to survey the situation. They at no time interacted with the people upstairs,” he told The Daily.
Mendelson noted that he did not know who had called the police officers. According to Mendelson, McGill Security is “mandated—or certainly allowed—to call the police when they feel that there is a threat to people or a threat to property […] but I don’t know what triggered the decision to do that.”
Moments after the four police officers arrived, around 20 students entered through a side door for a peaceful sit-in on the second floor, with McGill Security supervising.
Just before 5 p.m., 20 police officers on bicycles approached James Admin from the Milton Gates. The officers spoke with McGill Security but did not take action immediately.
Officers lined up, using their bicycles as barricades against the demonstrators. Some swung their bikes at the demonstrators who were attempting to push the police off campus.
A brief confrontation took place between demonstrators and police. Demonstrators pushed police back while officers dodged items, including sticks and water bottles, thrown by the crowd. The officers rode away, to the cheering of students.
Shortly after 5 p.m., about 40 riot police entered the campus through the Milton Gates, beating their shields with batons. Police pushed the crowd towards the Arts and Ferrier buildings. Demonstrators were pepper-sprayed after pushing back against the police lines in front of James Admin.
“The University did not call the riot squad. I can tell you that, unequivocally,” Mendelson said in an interview on Nov. 11. “I know that the police who were here called in [the riot squad].”
He elaborated on what led to riot police being called onto campus.
“[The four police officers] looked out the window, and they saw the crowd was growing – there were conversations, things seemed to be getting more heated,” Mendelson explained. “I don’t know why, what factored into their decision.”
Jean-Pierre Brabant, a member of the SPVM’s public relations team, declined to answer questions as to whether the riot police had authorization to enter McGill campus.
A second wave of over 50 riot police surrounded demonstrators on all sides. At this point, students taking part in the sit-in on the first floor of James Admin exited the building.
One demonstrator who was trying to cross police lines on the west side of James Admin was picked up, dragged, and thrown to the ground. Police formed a line and began forcibly pushing demonstrators down the steps, towards the Milton Gates at the edge of campus.
Dozens of demonstrators were pepper sprayed by officers while others carried water to those who had been blinded by the spray.
Gregory Mikkelson, an associate professor in the environment and philosophy departments, was on his way to pick up his children from daycare. While leaving campus, he noticed the protest outside of James Admin and stopped to observe.
“Three Montreal riot police came at me, clubbed me in the ribs and stomach with a baton, knocked me over—I don’t know if it was a club that knocked me over or one of them pushing me, you know, it all happened so fast—I popped right back up and they pepper sprayed me in the face,” Mikkelson said.
“After I was attacked, my first thought was to check with the person I had been talking with shortly before that and see if he had witnessed it, and ask him if I could get his information so I could corroborate if necessary,” he continued.
McGill student Anna Hermanson was involved in the demonstration and explained that police were “actively pushing” student protesters.
“We decided to let go of one another and put our hands up, and say, ‘We’re standing here peacefully, this is our campus, we have a right to be here. Please’—I’m sobbing at this point … asking, ‘Why are you doing this, we’re students, we can be here, we’re protesting peacefully, please don’t come forward,’” she continued.
Fleeing protesters were unable to enter McGill buildings, which had been locked. McGill’s emergency alert system was not activated.
Mendelson spoke to the activation procedure of the system, which is controlled by McGill Security.
“The emergency alert system would go out to all the members of the community, and there’s a trade-off whether or not that would have calmed the situation or fuelled the situation,” he explained.
Once protesters had been pushed off campus onto nearby Milton Street, police shut down the intersection at Milton and University Streets, while demonstrators lingered in the road. Shortly after, tear gas was deployed. The police proceeded to charge towards remaining demonstrators, breaking up the crowd.
McGill student Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, who had been walking through campus with her bicycle and was not involved in the demonstration, explained she was pushed to the ground by police in the intersection.
“I couldn’t run really because I had my bike, so while they were charging, they just pushed me down onto my bike and pinned me on the ground. It was kind of blurry for me but I felt kicking and hitting and they threw my bike—which is now broken, pretty badly—and dragged me by my arms,” she said.
Four arrests were reported from Thursday’s demonstration, two of which have been confirmed to be McGill students. Students Alex Briggs and Ariel Prado were arrested, separately, near the James Admin. Both were released late Thursday evening, although Briggs has a pending court date.
Immediately after the demonstration outside James Admin broke up, McGill student groups, including the Students’ Society of McGill University, the Quebec Public Interest Research Group, and McGill University First Aid Service, began mobilizing to offer support to demonstrators who had been affected.
Students at the fifth-floor sit-in inside the James Administration building were eventually escorted out of the building by two Montreal police officers. According to the students involved, the police were only involved “peripherally” during the occupation, and while administrators first said that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave the building without non-academic probation or charges, in a second round of negotiations, the two parties agreed to the students’ release with no arrests, charges, disciplinary action, or names taken.
According to Mendelson, talks between the two parties concluded in less than five minutes, after administrators had consulted with each other and the Montreal police, and subsequently accepted the students’ terms. The students on the second floor negotiated with a member of McGill Security and a Montreal police officer. One student occupying the second floor said later that the sit-in was non-violent.
Munroe-Blum released a statement Nov. 11, indicating that McGill dean of law Daniel Jutras has been asked to conduct an independent investigation of the events of Nov. 10, to be completed by Dec. 15. The McGill principal added that she was not on campus to witness the events firsthand on Nov. 10, and emphasized that “the presence of the riot squad, which dispersed the protesters by its usual means, was entirely directed by the Montreal police service.”
“The presence of riot police on our campus is shocking,” she wrote.With files from Henry Gass, Queen Arsem-O’Malley and Anthony Lecossois.
Fourteen McGill students claim to have been assaulted by McGill Security while they occupied the fifth floor of the James Admin for almost two hours on Thursday afternoon. The sit-in coincided with a 30,000 person-strong demonstration against tuition hikes in the province.
At 4:05 p.m., a group of approximately 50 students entered McGill campus after news of the occupation in the James Admin building reached the demonstrators.
Farid Attar Rifai, president of the Association of McGill University Support Employees, was one of the first people on the scene.
“I saw security … were rushing towards the James building, so I knew [the students] were already inside at that point,” Attar Rifai said.
He explained that, upon his arrival, all entrances to the building were locked, and security guards were positioned outside.
Some of the demonstrators took a megaphone back to the Roddick Gates, where they encouraged others to join them. “We’re in McGill, we need more people,” screamed one demonstrator. The crowd outside of the James Admin grew to around 200 people.
Reports of violence used against the occupiers by McGill Security reached those outside through text messages and phone calls. Demonstrators proceeded to form a human chain around the building, demanding entrance.
At roughly 4:50 p.m., four Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers approached the building from the Milton Gates and entered the James Admin through a back door, where students attempted to block them.
“When we heard the cops were coming […] we decided to delay them so people inside could have time to negotiate,” said Attar Rifai.
Deputy provost of student life and learning Morton Mendelson confirmed that he had been inside the James Admin throughout the demonstration.
“There were four police who came to survey the situation. They at no time interacted with the people upstairs,” he told The Daily.
Mendelson noted that he did not know who had called the police officers. According to Mendelson, McGill Security is “mandated—or certainly allowed—to call the police when they feel that there is a threat to people or a threat to property […] but I don’t know what triggered the decision to do that.”
Moments after the four police officers arrived, around 20 students entered through a side door for a peaceful sit-in on the second floor, with McGill Security supervising.
Just before 5 p.m., 20 police officers on bicycles approached James Admin from the Milton Gates. The officers spoke with McGill Security but did not take action immediately.
Officers lined up, using their bicycles as barricades against the demonstrators. Some swung their bikes at the demonstrators who were attempting to push the police off campus.
A brief confrontation took place between demonstrators and police. Demonstrators pushed police back while officers dodged items, including sticks and water bottles, thrown by the crowd. The officers rode away, to the cheering of students.
Shortly after 5 p.m., about 40 riot police entered the campus through the Milton Gates, beating their shields with batons. Police pushed the crowd towards the Arts and Ferrier buildings. Demonstrators were pepper-sprayed after pushing back against the police lines in front of James Admin.
“The University did not call the riot squad. I can tell you that, unequivocally,” Mendelson said in an interview on Nov. 11. “I know that the police who were here called in [the riot squad].”
He elaborated on what led to riot police being called onto campus.
“[The four police officers] looked out the window, and they saw the crowd was growing – there were conversations, things seemed to be getting more heated,” Mendelson explained. “I don’t know why, what factored into their decision.”
Jean-Pierre Brabant, a member of the SPVM’s public relations team, declined to answer questions as to whether the riot police had authorization to enter McGill campus.
A second wave of over 50 riot police surrounded demonstrators on all sides. At this point, students taking part in the sit-in on the first floor of James Admin exited the building.
One demonstrator who was trying to cross police lines on the west side of James Admin was picked up, dragged, and thrown to the ground. Police formed a line and began forcibly pushing demonstrators down the steps, towards the Milton Gates at the edge of campus.
Dozens of demonstrators were pepper sprayed by officers while others carried water to those who had been blinded by the spray.
Gregory Mikkelson, an associate professor in the environment and philosophy departments, was on his way to pick up his children from daycare. While leaving campus, he noticed the protest outside of James Admin and stopped to observe.
“Three Montreal riot police came at me, clubbed me in the ribs and stomach with a baton, knocked me over—I don’t know if it was a club that knocked me over or one of them pushing me, you know, it all happened so fast—I popped right back up and they pepper sprayed me in the face,” Mikkelson said.
“After I was attacked, my first thought was to check with the person I had been talking with shortly before that and see if he had witnessed it, and ask him if I could get his information so I could corroborate if necessary,” he continued.
McGill student Anna Hermanson was involved in the demonstration and explained that police were “actively pushing” student protesters.
“We decided to let go of one another and put our hands up, and say, ‘We’re standing here peacefully, this is our campus, we have a right to be here. Please’—I’m sobbing at this point … asking, ‘Why are you doing this, we’re students, we can be here, we’re protesting peacefully, please don’t come forward,’” she continued.
Fleeing protesters were unable to enter McGill buildings, which had been locked. McGill’s emergency alert system was not activated.
Mendelson spoke to the activation procedure of the system, which is controlled by McGill Security.
“The emergency alert system would go out to all the members of the community, and there’s a trade-off whether or not that would have calmed the situation or fuelled the situation,” he explained.
Once protesters had been pushed off campus onto nearby Milton Street, police shut down the intersection at Milton and University Streets, while demonstrators lingered in the road. Shortly after, tear gas was deployed. The police proceeded to charge towards remaining demonstrators, breaking up the crowd.
McGill student Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, who had been walking through campus with her bicycle and was not involved in the demonstration, explained she was pushed to the ground by police in the intersection.
“I couldn’t run really because I had my bike, so while they were charging, they just pushed me down onto my bike and pinned me on the ground. It was kind of blurry for me but I felt kicking and hitting and they threw my bike—which is now broken, pretty badly—and dragged me by my arms,” she said.
Four arrests were reported from Thursday’s demonstration, two of which have been confirmed to be McGill students. Students Alex Briggs and Ariel Prado were arrested, separately, near the James Admin. Both were released late Thursday evening, although Briggs has a pending court date.
Immediately after the demonstration outside James Admin broke up, McGill student groups, including the Students’ Society of McGill University, the Quebec Public Interest Research Group, and McGill University First Aid Service, began mobilizing to offer support to demonstrators who had been affected.
Students at the fifth-floor sit-in inside the James Administration building were eventually escorted out of the building by two Montreal police officers. According to the students involved, the police were only involved “peripherally” during the occupation, and while administrators first said that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave the building without non-academic probation or charges, in a second round of negotiations, the two parties agreed to the students’ release with no arrests, charges, disciplinary action, or names taken.
According to Mendelson, talks between the two parties concluded in less than five minutes, after administrators had consulted with each other and the Montreal police, and subsequently accepted the students’ terms. The students on the second floor negotiated with a member of McGill Security and a Montreal police officer. One student occupying the second floor said later that the sit-in was non-violent.
Munroe-Blum released a statement Nov. 11, indicating that McGill dean of law Daniel Jutras has been asked to conduct an independent investigation of the events of Nov. 10, to be completed by Dec. 15. The McGill principal added that she was not on campus to witness the events firsthand on Nov. 10, and emphasized that “the presence of the riot squad, which dispersed the protesters by its usual means, was entirely directed by the Montreal police service.”
“The presence of riot police on our campus is shocking,” she wrote.With files from Henry Gass, Queen Arsem-O’Malley and Anthony Lecossois.
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We Are All McGill
(CUP) — Five people were arrested after riot police shut down an anti-tuition protest in Montreal on Thursday.
One was person was injured after protesters entered an office building downtown, but police said the woman was not a protester.
The protest remained peaceful for over three hours, as around 2,000 demonstrators snaked their way through downtown Montreal.
Protesters were upset with tuition increases proposed in Quebec’s provincial budget earlier this month. Protesters were also calling for free university education in Quebec.
Throughout the march there was heavy police presence, with officers on horseback and a provincial police helicopter overhead.
Clashes with police began around 4 p.m. As the majority of protesters were gathered outside premier Jean Charest’s Montreal office, a small group of protesters entered the nearby offices of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities. The group, which represents administrators at all universities in the province, has come out in favour of the increase.
According to police, a woman who works in the building housing the CREPUQ offices suffered a fractured arm during a confrontation with protesters.
Police also scuffled with protesters in front of the building, with officers using pepper spray.
The main body of demonstrators soon moved in front of the office building.
Around 4:20 p.m., police ordered demonstrators to clear the street and move west. When a large number of protesters didn’t move, riot police charged the crowd. Police fired several stun grenades above the protesters. Police split the crowd into several smaller groups within a matter of minutes. At several points, large crowds of onlookers gathered as riot police followed small groups of protesters on busy downtown streets. Riot police began leaving the area before 5 p.m.
Police spokesperson Annie Lemieux said those arrested will face charges including assaulting a police officer and mischief. She said several vehicles, including two police cars, were damaged during the protest.
The protest was organized by the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante, a large Quebec student lobby group. The protest coincided with a one-day student strike, also organized by ASSÉ, at several French-language universities and CEPGEPs across the province. The strike was endorsed by 21 student associations, which represent a total of over 50,000 students.
On March 17, Quebec’s finance minister Raymond Bachand announced that university tuition fees would rise by $1,625 over the next five years, beginning in 2012. Quebec currently has the lowest tuition fees in the country.
“Already, too many students drop out for financial reasons. What the government is proposing will aggravate this situation,” ASSÉ spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said in French. “This is unacceptable and we will fight for everyone to have access to education.”