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Published: June 12, 2024
McGill University in Montreal is proposing to review its investments in arms manufacturing companies and grant amnesty to protesting students as part of a new offer to members of the pro-Palestinian camp on its downtown campus.
McGill stated that the offer presented on Monday includes a review of direct investments in shares of entities that derive most of their revenue from military weapons production.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have occupied the lower field of McGill University since late April, demanding that the university divest from companies they describe as complicit in the genocide of Palestinians and sever ties with Israeli academic institutions.
The university stated in a press release on Tuesday: "Yesterday, the university presented an updated offer to its community members in the camp, surpassing previous proposals."
This ongoing effort to reach a peaceful resolution for the camp, which has been in the lower area for over six weeks, is in addition to the university's renewed proposal to appoint a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate discussions.
The university also stated that it offered to disclose more investments to include properties worth less than $500,000, to support Palestinian students displaced by the war in Gaza, and grant disciplinary amnesty to any McGill student or staff member involved in the camp before June 15.
Representatives of the camp could not be immediately reached for comment, and as of Tuesday afternoon, they had not clarified on social media whether they would accept the offer.
McGill University states that its amnesty offer does not cover those involved in the occupation of the McGill University administration building last Thursday, or anyone engaging in acts such as property destruction, vandalism, or harassment. Police reported that they arrested 15 individuals during that protest.
The offer is the latest attempt by the university to persuade the demonstrators to dismantle the dozens of tents they've set up in the lower part of the campus. The Quebec Supreme Court rejected McGill's request for an injunction to remove the demonstrators in May, ruling that the university's lawyers had not convinced the court that the situation was urgent or posed a risk to health or safety.
Since then, McGill has filed a different request for an injunction to remove the demonstrators, which has not yet been heard.
The Montreal police stated that they have no plans to move on the camp as long as no crimes are being committed, despite previous requests from the school for officers to clear the field.
McGill stated in its press release that it urged the demonstrators, who have rejected the university's previous proposals, to discuss the latest offer through a skilled and neutral mediator, adding that it hopes to reach a "peaceful and satisfactory solution for all."
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