vandalism

Henry F. Hall Building windows smashed following demonstration on Sept. 29. Photo Alice Martin

Alice Martin,
Local Journalism Initiative

Demonstrators smashed windows and threw Molotov cocktails at police officers

During the evening of Sept. 29, the lobby windows of Concordia’s Henry F. Hall Building were shattered as part of a demonstration and march organized by autonomous students.

Demonstrators also spray-painted pro-Palestine messages like “Free Gaza” and “C = Complicit” on the windows of the Hall building lobby. As they marched, demonstrators also held a banner that read “Hope lies in the fight” with an anarchy symbol next to the message.

Around 50 demonstrators had gathered on De Maisonneuve Blvd. for an “impromptu demonstration,” according to SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. He said the windows were broken using blunt objects like baseball bats and hammers.

Four arrests were made on the scene, police later identified the arrestees to be in their 20s. The demonstrators were released without charges conditional to the results of an ongoing investigation.

“I am extremely concerned about the violent escalation of recent protests,” said Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor Graham Carr in a statement sent out to students on Sept. 30. “Concordia students, faculty and staff can certainly express themselves in a civil and respectful manner, but we cannot, as a community, tolerate intimidation or hatred in any form on our campuses.”

Montreal police arrived on site after 911 calls reported broken windows at the university, but by then demonstrators had already begun walking down De la Montagne St. The march continued down Sainte-Catherine St., with demonstrators breaking the windows of multiple store fronts, according to Brabant.

The SPVM representative said that multiple police officers attempted to scatter protestors who were committing criminal acts, with some officers chasing after demonstrators.

“During the pursuit, demonstrators threw at least two Molotov cocktails and incendiary objects in the direction of the police officers,” Brabant said. He added that no one was hurt in the demonstration.

According to videos circulating on social media and shared by accounts such as @clash.mtl on instagram, fireworks were also set off during the march.

“We will aim to gather evidence and see with surveillance cameras if we can find any information to know who did what and if anyone committed criminal acts,” Brabant said.

According to police, the demonstration died down at around 11 p.m. 

In his statement, Carr said that Concordia is assessing the events and will take “appropriate action” in accordance with the university’s Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

This event follows a Sept. 25 pro-Palestine student walkout where Concordia students demanded the university divest from Israel. The walkout saw severe police intervention, as well as three arrests.

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 3, published October 1, 2024.