Walkout staged at Concordia following ban of student union staff member from campus
At least one student was fined following the walkout for failing to comply with an SPVM officer’s demand
Around 30 Concordia University students and community members staged a walkout at the university’s Henry F. Hall Building on Dec. 1, following the recent barring of Concordia Student Union (CSU) full-time staff member Julianna Smith from campus.
Smith was banned for her alleged actions helping students during the Oct. 6 student strikes in support of Palestine.
Police were present on De Maisonneuve Blvd. W. at around 12:00 p.m., according to SPVM spokesperson Johany Charland. Spokesperson Manuel Couture also confirmed the presence of police from the Poste de quartier police station as well as anti-riot police.
About seven Campus Safety and Prevention Services (CSPS) agents were stationed on the ground floor of the Hall building at around 12:30 p.m. before the walkout began.
After demonstrators entered the ground floor of the Hall building at 12:45 p.m., CSPS agents formed a line blocking a group of around a dozen demonstrators.
The demonstrating crowd clapped and chanted “Free Palestine” as they moved forward. CSPS agents held their line, preventing students from moving further into the building. The group grew to about 30 demonstrators.
Around 10 SPVM officers joined CSPS at around 1:10 p.m., lining up in front of demonstrators. No one was allowed to pass. The entrance to the Hall building was then locked from the outside, so people could no longer join.
At around 1:30 p.m., police corralled the group in front of the Hall building doors, stringing orange tape between the building’s pillars. Demonstrators then flooded down De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Alexis, a student granted last-name anonymity for safety reasons, said they were fined for blocking police cars that were driving on the sidewalk. The SPVM said that no arrests were made and no fines were issued during the demonstration.
Alexis told The Link that officers initially told them that they were under arrest for bumping into a police car’s mirror, which Alexis denies. Officers continued to insist that they had, before Alexis pointed out that people had been filming, at which point officers issued them a $520 fine, according to Alexis.
The ticket states that Alexis “failed to comply with a demand made by a peace officer under section 202.3 of the Highway Safety Code.”
The crowd dispersed at around 2 p.m.
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