By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
McGill will only tolerate peaceful protests on campus going forward, and not situations like the pro-Palestinian encampment that was on the university grounds from April 27 to July 10, McGill president Deep Saini said Aug. 28.
The encampment was cleared by a private company hired by McGill while the SPVM, as well as the SQ, surrounded the area around the campus.
Saini was interviewed at a virtual Zoom town hall by Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather, who is also the Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on Jewish Community Relations and Antisemitism. Hundreds of people listened in.
Saini said McGill’s actions during the encampment were not perfect, “but did we handle it as well as we could have under the circumstances, I think more or less, yes. The rear view mirror is always very instructive….We are working without a playbook, we’re learning from every experience, and saying ‘how do we do the next thing better?’”
Housefather then asked if there will be enhanced security at McGill this semester, and what will the university do to ensure people feel safer and not have to hear antisemitic chants and have incidents like an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hanging from the Roddick gates or the occupation of a university building and terrorizing its occupants, as took place.
Saini replied that if there is a peaceful protest on campus “that is not also engaging in targeted hate against a particular community or individual, and it’s an expression of your political opinion, by all means, do that.
“But a protest has a time limit on it. You can’t say ‘I’m going to set up an encampment and that’s my form of protest,’ or ‘I’m going to take over a building.’ Time limited, specified subject in a specified place, you express your views and you move on and you have a debate.”
Housefather said, “and not carrying symbols of terrorist organizations, not chanting things that a terrorist organization would chant.”
Saini replied that “once you cross the line, then we have multiple levels of security now — I don’t want to go into the details of it — but what we have put in place is that depending on the nature of an offence, we will deploy security. We have our own security, we have access to additional help from outside and we have a better understanding with the Montreal police — of what the Montreal police can and cannot do.”
Saini said he feels “we have all the right steps in place that give us the best, at this moment, tools to deal with a disruption.”
Housefather also asked about alleged “abuse of podium” situations in which professor expresses his or her view of the Israel-Hamas war in a class where the subject is not relevant, or where students feel uncomfortable if they take a position contrary to that of the educator.
Saini replied that this past Aug, 22, a note was sent to all faculty and staff “laying out the rules of engagement going forward.
“They include a clear message to our faculty of what is permissible under academic freedom and freedom of speech, and what constitutes abuse of podium, particularly when you’re in a position of power. Nobody would be allowed to abuse their position or podium to make a statement projecting their own beliefs to the people.” n