McGill student society wins Palestine policy injunction in court

Members addressed the repression of student freedom of speech during press briefing

NewsBrief Maria Cholakova — Published April 28, 2025 0 minutes

The win relates to an injunction filed in November 2023 in response to a democratic vote during the SSMU Fall 2023 referendum. McGill University students had voted 73 per cent in favour of adopting the SSMU Policy Against Genocide in Palestine. 

The policy calls on McGill to cut ties with people, corporations and institutions that are "complicit in genocide, settler-colonialism, apartheid, or ethnic cleansing against Palestinians." The injunction had blocked the ratification of the policy.

The Quebec Court of Appeal unanimously struck down the injunction, stating that “thousands of students who voted for the adoption of the Policy are deprived of the opportunity to express their criticisms and demands, with which one may or may not agree, but which nevertheless constitute the primary expression of their ideas and their social and political freedom of expression.”

According to SSMU’s website, on April 22, the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine was officially ratified 16 months after the original vote.

According to Hugo-Victor Solomon, SSMU’s vice president external, the court decision was a win for student democracy. 

“This is more than a legal win, it’s a resounding affirmation that students have a right to speak, to organize and to demand justice,” Solomon said in a press briefing at McGill’s campus following the court’s decision. 

He added that criticizing Israel’s government is not a form of discrimination. 

“This is why SSMU fought to pass a policy against antisemitism, rooted in [...] frameworks that protect Jewish students, without being weaponized to suppress Palestinian solidarity,” Solomon said.

Solomon finished his speech by condemning the genocide, war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza. 

“We affirm one and for all, that SSMU stands in unambiguous solidarity with our Palestinian and Arab peers,” he said.

Solomon was joined by Danna Ballantyne, Concordia Student Union external coordinator, who echoed Solomon’s sentiments. 

“We certainly cannot celebrate our diversity if we are refusing to acknowledge entire communities,” Ballantyne said. “True diversity is not just about inclusion in name, it is about protecting the freedom to speak out, to take political stances and to fight against injustice, no matter how uncomfortable or expensive this may be for those in power.”

The press briefing ended with a round of questions from the media.