On April 2nd, pro-Palestinian student groups in Montreal started an encampment on the McGill campus, demanding that the university divest its finances from companies complicit in Israel's genocide in Gaza, like weapons companies BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin. 

Early this morning, on the 10th of July, it was dismantled. McGill hired a private security firm to shut down the encampment, after the university failed to have it disbanded by the police and following 2 injunctions which were rejected by Quebec courts.

I want to share a conversation that I recorded last week with SPHR McGill, which is one of the key organizations behind the encampment. Although it was recorded prior to the dismantling of the camp, it remains extensively relevant to what has happened today and beyond. We discuss very important elements related to the cause of demonstrating Israel’s atrocities and the complicity of North American universities in genocide, through research and financial means. We also talk about the encampment’s mission and demands, McGill’s investments in weapons manufacturing, and about previous anti-war and anti-aparthied encampments on McGill.

Thank you for listening to the ‘Palestine Debrief’ podcast. This podcast is produced by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and hosted by Wissam El Cheikh Hassan.

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