Montreal police attack pro-Palestinian students

Pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves in the administration building at McGill University in Montreal on Thursday. About an hour into the protest, Montreal police responded by firing tear gas at a crowd of protesters who were outside the building.

Masked protesters appeared at open windows on the third floor and waved a Palestinian flag, but after the tear gas was discharged, police in riot gear could be seen in the windows.

The crowd outside grew larger and expanded to include the campus square. Police then used tear gas and pepper spray to clear out protesters.

The group leading the occupation – Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill – was demanding McGill cut ties with “genocide.”

The group listed three companies the university should end relations with – Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems and Thales. The latter equips land and naval forces with communication networks. Elbit Systems is a global high-technology company, while Lockheed Martin develops, among other things, systems to prepare military personnel for complex missions.