Anti-Israel protests bring vandalism and chaos to McGill University
McGill grappled with vandalism and class disruptions during the three-day anti-Israel strike, leading to the termination of the Student Union's contract.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, McGill University has been a cauldron of unrest, with Jewish students enduring harassment, stalking, and targeted intimidation. The campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has been marred by radical activism, including a 75-day anti-Israel encampment that forced McGill to relocate its graduation ceremonies.
Graffiti, vandalism, and a building occupation with barricades have fueled a growing sense of insecurity. Last week, a chaotic three-day strike, backed at least implicitly by the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU), disrupted dozens of classes and left students feeling threatened.
Professor Angela Campbell’s letter criticized SSMU’s leadership for failing to distance itself from groups glorifying vandalism and obstruction as activism. The university’s response—cutting ties with SSMU—came after a shocking incident where a protester with a fire extinguisher loaded with red paint sprayed inside an office and smashed a window glass door.
Amanda, a McGill student who witnessed the turmoil, recounted the scene to Rebel News: “Basically, campus was completely taken over by protesters from McGill, also from outside. Classes were blocked, students were physically assaulted, there was a mob as well on Thursday, so campus was a complete mess for those three days.”
Amanda described a terrifying moment in the administration building: “They surrounded the exit. So riot police and security had to come and, you know, block them obviously from entering. So it was pretty scary. I had to be moved to the side by the riot police.” She expressed dismay at the lack of consequences: “I’ve asked administration if they intended to make expulsions or discipline these students, and they can’t really give a straight answer.”
With no arrests reported and mediation talks with SSMU underway, many students feel the university’s actions are too little, too late.
Jewish students, alongside others—Chinese, Italian, Greek, Black—report feeling unsafe, their rights trampled. Amanda voiced their exasperation: “We’re really fed up. Our rights are being infringed upon. This isn’t a safe place for Jewish students anymore, or honestly, any other students.” As McGill grapples with its next steps, the campus remains a tinderbox, with fears that unchecked escalation could spark worse to come.
Alexandra Lavoie
Quebec based Journalist
Alexa graduated with a degree in biology from Laval University. Throughout her many travels, she has seen political instability as well as corruption. While she witnessed social disorder on a daily basis, she has always been a defender of society’s most vulnerable. She’s been around the world several times, and now joins Rebel News to shed light on today’s biggest stories.
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COMMENTS
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Crude Sausage commented 2025-04-11 20:22:55 -0400Back when I was at McGill between 1999 and 2003, such protests happened, but they were relatively easy to ignore. At the time, the population of Muslims at the school seemed to be small, they preferred to study at Concordia, so whatever protests they had were easy to ignore. Of course, the fact that Muslims flew planes into the Twin Towers at the time (if you believe that story) might have also caused them to lay low. It truly is too bad that McGill has allowed them to study there. Everywhere they go, chaos follows. It might be easier to simply deny them entry. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-04-11 19:15:57 -0400The right to protest ends when vandalism starts. No one has the right to destroy property they don’t own. Were I in charge, all participating students would be expelled with no refunding of their money. I’d also press trespass charges to outsiders in that riot.
