Student sit-in protest marked by fencing and heavy police presence
Anonymous group accuses university of suppressing student activism, calls for boycott and divestment
A group of anonymous students occupied Concordia University’s Henry F. Hall Building mezzanine in a sit-in on Feb. 20.
The anonymous group organized the demonstration as part of the Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante syndicale (CRUES) day of action to “demand that all institutions boycott, divest from and sanction the Zionist entity,” according to a collaborative post on Instagram.
Posters and flyers announcing the sit-in were shared online and in print. CRUES stated on Instagram that while the posters aligned with their day of action demands, the group was not involved in planning or executing the sit-in.
At around 1 p.m., the Hall building mezzanine was fenced off. According to Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci, the perimeter was installed because of a renovation and maintenance project in the area that requires “measuring the possible impact on systems that are in the ceiling.”
Maestracci said that the perimeter will be up for a week or two and claimed that Facilities Management checked prior to putting up the perimeter that the space did not have any bookings.
By 11 a.m., several police cars were stationed outside of the Hall building. When asked about the police presence on campus prior to the sit-in, Maestracci stated that “the SPVM decides where it deploys in Montreal.”
In a press release sent to The Link, the anonymous group explained that the sit-in protest was a response to Concordia's decision to revoke booking privileges for the Concordia Student Union (CSU), as well as to reject the university’s ongoing suppression of student voices.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., a few dozen protesters chanting and holding signs entered the Hall mezzanine through the entrance on Mackay St. Demonstrators immediately removed the red fabric and fences to enter and occupy the mezzanine, with Concordia Campus Safety and Prevention Services (CSPS) and SPVM officers closely monitoring.
Protesters chanted, danced and encouraged students to join them in the previously blocked-off area of the Hall mezzanine.
In the press release, the group accused Concordia of “obstructing students from exercising their right to protest and express dissent.”
“The university’s heavy-handed actions undermine students’ fundamental right to free expression and assembly,” the statement read.
During the demonstration, organizers handed out small pieces of paper accusing Concordia of having “repeatedly abused shady, opaque procedures to silence students, all while waving around empty rhetoric about transparency and academic freedom.”
This comes after the CSU sent Concordia a cease and desist letter accusing the university of restraining the union’s freedom of speech.
Throughout the demonstration, approximately three agitators repeatedly attempted to record the protesters but were met with an umbrella blocking their phone camera’s view.
Around 3:15 p.m., the demonstrators led people out of the Hall building through the exit on Mackay St., continuing onto Blvd. De Maisonneuve W. Over a dozen SPVM officers followed the protesters down the road.
The police followed the demonstration down into the Guy-Concordia metro station and CSPS officers closed the underground entrances to the EV Building and the tunnel leading to the LB and Hall buildings. The protest then dispersed peacefully with no arrests made.
