A judge has granted Université du Québec à Montréal a partial injunction against pro-Palestinian protesters who set up an encampment on its downtown campus earlier this month.
Superior Court Justice Louis J. Gouin ruled Monday that safety measures need to be put in place at the encampment, and that doing so won’t infringe on the encampment members’ right to protest.
“It’s essential that appropriate security measures be put in place immediately in order to prevent an unfortunate event from happening and for UQAM to suffer serious or irreparable harm,” Gouin wrote.
“In the present circumstances, it is definitely preferable to prevent rather than to heal.”
Gouin said he was prohibiting protesters from setting up tents and other material within two metres of campus buildings, instead of the three metres UQAM had requested. The protesters had asked that the distance be set at one metre.
Protesters have also been ordered to ensure doors, windows and walls are clear of obstructions; to remove cardboard blocking security cameras; and to allow representatives from the school and fire department to visit the camp to make sure it’s safe.
Protesters had said the security corridor requested by the school would force them to dismantle their camp, an argument that Gouin rejected. He said that while protesters might have to reduce the size of the encampment or rearrange it, the rules he was imposing were in everyone’s best interest.
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“These security measures won’t harm the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, including to protest, of the defendants,” he wrote. “In fact, it will help set limits on the demonstration … for it to take place in complete safety for all parties, subject to their respective rights to be asserted during the subsequent steps in the injunction process.”
UQAM had argued that protesters were posing a safety risk by blocking an emergency exit, being in possession of gasoline canisters and iron bars, and potentially “overloading” the university’s electrical network with unauthorized extension cords.
On the other side, lawyers for the protesters said the encampment members had already taken steps to clear exits, and that the demonstration was safe and peaceful.
Since the encampment started on May 12, protesters have demanded that the university cut ties with Israeli institutions and disclose its links to Israel, and that the Quebec government cancel plans for a diplomatic office in the country.
The university’s court application said the inner courtyard of its science complex is being occupied by about 40 tents.
UQAM’s administration said it will take time to study the judgment before responding.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
