A Quebec judge has issued an order barring certain pro-Palestinian groups and activists from blocking access to Concordia University or attempting to disrupt any classes.
The court order comes ahead of Monday’s one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. It also grants two Jewish students a protective order against two people they argue have intimidated them.
Quebec Superior Court Judge Daniel Urbas granted the temporary injunction on Wednesday. It will be in place for at least 10 days.
“The purpose of the (request),” Urbas noted in his ruling, “is not the suppression of free speech but intimidating, threatening and harassing activities which interrupt and disrupt access to academic services and activities offered by Concordia.”
The legal dispute pits two Jewish and pro-Israel student groups, Hillel Concordia and The Start Up Nation, against several others that defend the Palestinian cause, including SPHR Concordia and Independent Jewish Voices.
Specifically, Urbas has ordered the pro-Palestinian groups to refrain from blocking any of the university’s entrances or exits, from intimidating any students or staff as they enter and from showing up on campus to disrupt any classes.
The order covers any buildings belonging to the university on both its Sir George Williams and Loyola campuses.
The protective order restricts two defendants, one who is currently a student at the university, from approaching the two Jewish student plaintiffs when within a 300-metre radius of the university.
To come to his decision, Urbas reviewed videos of past protests and many social media posts from the different pro-Palestinian groups targeted by the legal action.
“The materials include a buffet of equally troubling materials,” Urbas wrote.
He noted that he watched the videos with and without sound to be able to separate the content of what was being said from the actions.
“Those videos and images did reflect moments in which any reasonable person would feel a valid, immediate and imminent fear to their physical security,” Urbas wrote.
The judge also pointed to social media posts by SPHR Concordia that boasted about successfully disrupting 10 classes at McGill University and Concordia, in addition to speaking of an “escalation” to come.
Other posts promoted protests planned for next week, Urbas added, described as a “week of rage” and “Oct. 7th celebration.”
The pro-Palestinian groups have said the class disruptions are in response to the “destruction of every Gazan university.”
They say Israel’s military actions in Gaza amount to a genocide and have called on universities to end their investments in weapons manufacturers and companies with ties to Israel.
More than 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 41,000 people in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Hillel Concordia and The Start Up Nation welcomed the ruling in a joint statement issued this week.
“This measure allows us to continue our studies in a hate-free and harassment-free environment, after months of hostility on our campus,” they wrote.
In an email response Friday, a spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices said the group received the injunction and remains committed to “upholding the Jewish principles of social justice.”
“We have always and will always denounce the killing of innocent civilians and that includes mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza,” wrote Niall Clapham Ricardo.
Concordia University, for its part, noted the university is not a defendant in the proceedings “and no conclusions have been sought or rendered against it.”
“We’ve repeatedly said that we can’t tolerate intimidation or hatred in any form on our campuses,” a spokesperson added.
Given the planned protests, the university is increasing security for Monday and allowing staff or students who don’t feel comfortable being on campus to work from home.
The Montreal police force has also said it will increase its presence throughout the city on Monday.