Photo: Ryan Remiorz The Canadian Press It has been more than a month since pro-Palestinian students pitched tents on the campus of McGill University.
Lisa Denis in Ottawa
Posted at 4:41 p.m.
- Canada
Pro-Palestinian protesters have “the right” to occupy the McGill University campus, according to Canada's special representative in charge of combating Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, even if it is up to the administration to ” determine the limits.”
“It’s really important that we protect the right of expression, freedoms,” she said in an interview in French at Devoir. “Students have been protesting against issues that concern them for a long time in Canadian history. So, it's a part of our history, and I think they have the right to do it,” added Ms. Elghawaby.
On the other hand, “s “there is something that the police or the administration finds [that crosses] the line of the law, consequences should be taken”, she added, without specifying what this would consist of.
Amira Elghawaby testified Monday morning on the rise in Islamophobia in the country before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which began a study on “Islamophobia and additional measures that could be taken to address fears legitimate expressed by the Muslim community of Canada.”
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It's been more than a month since students pitched tents on the campus of McGill University. On May 15, the Superior Court rejected a request for a provisional injunction made by the establishment.
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, has said several times that the encampment must be dismantled. For its part, Ottawa remained evasive on the subject. Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said it was McGill University's responsibility to “manage” the situation of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on its campus.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.