Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October 2023, student groups at Montreal's two English-language universities, McGill and Concordia, have taken on a visible role as they have held protests and demonstrations in support of either Palestine or Israel.

[4] On 19 December, McGill removed the university's name from its chapter of SPHR after reviewing a since-deleted social media post describing the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October as "heroic".

[6] In a referendum held on 20 November 2023, 78% of participating students voted in favour of a policy calling on the university to cut ties with companies "complicit in genocide", as well as condemn Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip.

[10] On 18 April 2024, two of McGill's pro-Palestinian student groups published a data set compiling 50 Israel-related companies that the university held investments in as of 31 December 2023.

[14] Of this amount, more than $5.5 million were invested in military technology companies which have contracts with the IDF, including Lockheed Martin, Thales, Safran, Dassault, Airbus and BAE Systems.

[15][16] Multiple other companies who operate in Israeli settlements, as well as large Canadian banks, listed because of their own investments in weapons manufacturers, appear in the data set.

[19] The next day, Columbia president Minouche Shafik summoned the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to dismantle the encampment, leading to the arrest of over 100 protesters.

[24] On the morning of 27 April 2024, a Saturday, the McGill administration sent a communique to students in response to social media posts announcing the encampment on campus.

[25][15] The email informed them that encampments were "not permitted on our campus" and that they "can create serious health and safety concerns while increasing the potential for escalation and confrontation".

[34][35] This entails the divestment from Israel-related funds, including weapons manufacturers doing business with the IDF and companies operating in Israeli-occupied territories, as well as the cutting of ties with Israeli universities.

[16][36] Additional demands include a public condamnation the Israeli assault on Gaza and the pressuring of the Canadian government in regards to its military ties with Israel, as well as the protection of students' right to protest.

[12] The "liberated zone" was located on the lower field of McGill's campus in downtown Montreal, behind its main entrance through the Roddick Gates, on Rue Sherbrooke.

[21] According to protesters, the encampment developed an organizational structure, including a code of conduct with rules addressing issues such as hate speech and discrimination.

[28] In front of the entrance, protesters welcomed visitors coming to drop off supplies, which included food, batteries, clothes, medicine and rain boots.

[47] Because of a largely rainy first week,[48] campers dug trenches, scooped water out with plastic pitchers and placed wooden pallets over the muddy lawn to provide walkways between the tents.

[43][49] Other amenities in the encampment included a library, a medical tent with trained personnel, community and prayer spaces, a generator and portable toilets.

[15] They have included poetry readings, music performances, lectures on Palestinian history,[17] celebrations of Passover,[39] debates, discussions,[51] quilting[52] and self-defence practice.

[43] On the first day of the encampment, several police vehicles were parked within sight of the site, although McGill's campus security was reportedly the entity in charge of the situation.

[26][25] On the evening of 1 May 2024, two minibuses of police officers in riot gear, who had been in downtown Montreal because of an unrelated protest, stopped in front of the encampment site for about 25 minutes.

[28][62] They alleged that chants from the protest, such as "Long live the intifada" and "Zionists are racist", created a hostile climate on campus and said that they were fearful.

[57] The temporary injunction would have prevented members from five pro-Palestinian groups, including SPHR, to protest within 100 metres of any of the 154 McGill buildings, for a period of 10 days.

[49] She invited pro-Palestinian protesters to better choose their words and to "dispense with those that could be perceived [...] as calls to violence or antisemitic", while maintaining "their anti-war message".

[63] The pro-Israeli protesters projected a looping documentary on the Hamas-led attack on Israel on a large screen and played Hebrew-language music.

[40] It accused the protesters, described as "occupants" in a "fortress", of escalating tensions on campus and of relieving themselves on the site, alleging that there were barrels containing "human waste" inside the camp and that feces had been found in the McLennan Library's ventilation system.

[64] On 6 June 2024, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the third floor of the James Administration Building, part of McGill's downtown campus, for several hours.

[70] After some protesters regathered, police again sprayed chemical irritants and charged the crowd with batons and shields, pushing them away from the James Building.

[69] An SPVM spokesperson also stated that criminal offences were committed in protests outside, on the McGill downtown campus and in neighbouring streets, including the throwing of pyrotechnic devices and stones at police officers.

[71][72] The university enlisted local police and private security to escort protesters away from the site while the encampment was demolished with excavators and bulldozers.

[77] Anthony Housefather, a Liberal MP from the Montreal region, published a video calling for the encampment to be dismantled on the day it was set up.

[24] Amir Khadir and Haroun Bouazzi, two politicians associated with the provincial party Québec solidaire, visited the encampment site.