Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment in King’s College Circle at the University of Toronto in May, 2024.Sammy Kogan /The Globe and Mail
University officials in Canada’s largest cities say they are working with police and security services to prepare for protests Wednesday, the third anniversary of Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Protests are being planned at or near the University of Toronto, Montreal’s McGill University, and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, as campuses continue to be flashpoints for demonstrations over conflicts in the Middle East.
About 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed and 250 people taken hostage when Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist entity by the Canadian government, invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the territory.
In Canada and the United States, pro-Palestinian protesters have set up encampments on university campuses, demanding that the institutions divest from weapon manufacturers connected to the Israeli military and sever ties with Israeli universities that operate in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, Jewish groups and students have demanded protection from alleged antisemitism on campus and demonstrations they say include threats and intimidation.
Pro-Palestinian groups in Canada organizing the campus protests have said they are intended to honour those killed in Gaza by Israel, while some Jewish groups have decried the demonstrations as insensitive and deliberately provocative.
McGill says it is in contact with the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal ahead of a planned rally by pro-Palestinian groups outside the gates of that campus. “The university’s security services will enhance their staffing and are working closely with the SPVM,” said Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokeswoman for the school.
In an e-mail, Ms. Cuplinskas said the university has “dedicated intervention teams available to address unauthorized occupations, property damage, safety concerns, or significant operational disruptions.”
In Toronto, pro-Palestinian groups have been planning what they call an “honouring our martyrs” event at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus. The university has told student groups among the protesting factions that this event should not take place on campus.
An unsigned U of T statement says safety concerns are paramount and include “physical safety risks to participants and to members of the broader university community.” The statement says those concerns have been heightened by “the online promotion of counter-protests to take place at the same time.”
Some protest activity is still expected to take place on or around the downtown campus. The Toronto Police Service said it will be on hand Wednesday to monitor events. “We are aware and will be present,” said Nadine Ramadan, the force’s spokeswoman.
Protest activity is also being planned in Vancouver, according to UBC officials.
While the B.C. RCMP would not say whether they will be monitoring that event, university spokeswoman Thandi Fletcher said some security measures will be in place. “UBC is aware that two pro-Palestinian groups are organizing gatherings on the Vancouver campus on Oct. 7,” she said in an e-mail.
In October, 2024, McGill officials restricted access to the campus and asked professors to move classes online, citing an elevated potential for disruption on the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks.
And pro-Palestinian groups held an “honouring our martyrs” event last Oct. 7 on U of T’s Mississauga campus.
In an unsigned statement, the Boycott, Divest and Sanction caucus of the U of T graduate students union said the use of the term “martyrs” for the Oct. 7 protest refers to Palestinians killed in Gaza during the Israeli invasion.
However, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs counters that the term is a provocation meant to glorify Hamas.
“People are out there celebrating what happened,” said Danielle Keenan, a spokeswoman for CIJA. “It would be more credible if these events were not taking place on Oct. 7 … This is the day that 1,200 people lost their lives.”
The concerns over this year’s Canadian campus protests coincide with mounting fears in Jewish communities worldwide. With the U.S. and Israel still at war with Iran, the Israeli government is warning Jews around the world that they may be at heightened risk of attacks this Oct. 7.