Faced with the silence of Quebec and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), the pro-Palestinian demonstrators installed at Victoria Square reiterate their demands, accusing them respectively of “legitimizing a genocide” and “complicity in a war crime”.
“How many deaths, how many unpunished crimes do we need before our institutions take note of the ongoing genocide and put themselves on the right side of history? », Launches Benoit Allard, spokesperson for the Disinvest for Palestine collective, during a press briefing held Tuesday at the Square Victoria camp.
The collective demands that the Quebec government cancel its decision to open an office in Israel and that the CDPQ cease its investments in companies “complicit in the Israeli occupation”. More broadly, he asks that all public institutions do the same, whether for their current or future investments.
“Our public institutions have the responsibility to ensure respect for fundamental rights and to ensure that the money of Quebecers is not tainted with the blood of oppressed peoples,” added Benoit Allard. He indicated that neither the Quebec government nor the CDPQ had yet responded to their requests. “We are here to stay until our demands are heard,” he said.
Representatives from several other organizations were also present, showing their solidarity with the encampment protesters – like Sabine Friesinger, who campaigns for the organization United Palestinians and Jews. “How long will it take for the CDPQ to hear the voices of the people on the streets?” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
The tarpaulins which protect the tents from view were decorated with numerous colorful graffiti, asking to act for Palestine. A handful of protesters were present at the press briefing. Several were wearing keffiyehs and wearing sunglasses. Two of them, met on the fringes of the camp, estimate that it includes around 150 people, who come and go: some sleep there at night, others not. They said several had also participated in the pro-Palestinian encampment on the McGill University campus.
Shortly after the press briefing, a dozen police officers surrounded the statue of Queen Victoria to remove the Palestinian flag she was holding, as well as the strap around it. The statue was also sprayed with paint on Saturday by a protester, and was still covered in paint and “Liberate Palestine” inscriptions when La Presse visited on Tuesday.
The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) confirmed to La Presse that the day before, police officers had intervened as demonstrators tried to bring down the statue – which remained intact.
Asked about this, Benoit Allard admitted that it had been targeted by demonstrators, as a protest against a “symbol of colonialism”. “There are questions to ask. It sends a message when our institutions defend these symbols […], but they are on the other hand very silent when it comes to the current genocide underway in Palestine,” he underlined.
The SPVM indicated that it was still assessing the situation, but that it did not plan to intervene soon to dislodge the demonstrators.