Dear McGill community members,
Around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of July 5, a group of protestors who gathered at Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle made their way to our campus and targeted several university buildings with acts of vandalism, breaking windows and spray-painting slogans and profanities. Even more distressingly, a McGill security agent appears to have been assaulted – I was extremely relieved to learn that he was not seriously harmed. It has been reported that one person was arrested for their role in the evening’s events. Ostensibly, protesters were acting in response to the dismantling, by police and the City of Montreal, of the Square Victoria and Parc des Faubourgs encampments earlier that day.
This was the latest escalation in a series of unlawful activities designed to intimidate, to coerce, and to achieve objectives through force. It should be clear to everyone that attacks on people and property do not represent the legitimate exercise of anyone's rights to free expression or assembly. Nor do they constitute peaceful protest. This needs to stop.
My team and I are working daily to restore peace and stability on our campus. I will report back to our community shortly on our next steps.
Sincerely,
Deep Saini
President and Vice-Chancellor