The Montreal police were criticized for removing peaceful Jewish advocates from the McGill University anti-Israel encampment.
The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal was accused of double standards due to its handling of the situation.
Jewish-Israeli rights activist Rudy Rochman and Canadian Jewish activist Ysabella Hazan visited the McGill encampment Friday with the hope of having conversations about Israel and the Oct. 7 attack.
They brought with them two signs, one that read “We witnessed October 7, ask us anything” and a second sign that read “There is no future without Israelis and Palestinians let’s talk”.
“The goal of creating dialogue was to shed light on the Jewish perspective on the conflict by Jews who are proud and connected to their identity, as well as reduce tensions in these polarized times where many Jews don’t feel safe around the encampment,” said Hazan on social media.
However, the anti-Israel protesters did not seem to be interested in conversations. Hazan says encampment protesters began “harassing and shouting violently” at her and Rochman, simply for the fact they were holding their signs and walking peacefully.
Hazan says they were then asked to leave by police, despite them having cooperated with security and police beforehand and there being no grounds for arrest.
“Friday effectively demonstrated that the free speech of the hostile encampment is protected whereas that of the peaceful minority of 2 people is not, ” said Hazan. “Two Jews creating dialogue ended up being escorted out by police as the pro-Hamas encampment cheered on the police.”
“When the police and the far left are on the same page, you know that the Jews are involved,” she added.
In a statement to True North, the SPVM said “the role of police officers is to ensure peace, good order and the safety of all those involved, while respecting their rights and freedoms.”
The SPVM had also told CBC News that Hazan and Rochman were asked to leave as “there was some tension between the two parties” and officers wanted “to avoid anything happening.”
McGill University did not respond to a request for comment.
The university is, however, continuing to try and get the encampment removed from its campus.
Last week, a judge rejected a request for a provisional injunction from McGill to dismantle an encampment, Another injunction sought by students had also been rejected.
In a news release, McGill said it will “move forward with the next steps in the process to seek an interlocutory injunction following the decision by the Superior Court of Quebec regarding McGill’s application for a provisional injunction.”
If approved, the interlocutory injunction would seek to ban the encampment permanently by barring protesters from “camping or occupying in any manner whatsoever” or protesting in a way that violates university policy.
“We maintain our belief that McGill as a private property owner does have the right to authorize usage of its grounds as well as its buildings,” said the university. “McGill’s request for a provisional injunction did not seek to stop protests on its campus; it sought to stop an indefinite occupation of its property.”
