“A tiny city:” Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week

May 5, 2024 | 12:43 PM

MONTREAL — A group of pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up an encampment at McGill University’s downtown Montreal campus say they’re better organized and prepared than ever as the protest stretches into a second week.

Protester Ari Nahman says the encampment has become a “tiny city” complete with dozens of rainproofed tents, a library, a stockpile of donated supplies and makeshift wooden sidewalks to keep the mud at bay.

Today, encampment members could be seen digging a shallow trench to drain away the heavy rain, as others staffed a tent operating as a “free store” serving up hot coffee, food and rain gear.

Pro-Palestinian activists have also set up tents at the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.