Students hold pro-Palestinian strikes and protest across Quebec

Chants and speeches disrupted the quiet around Dawson College in downtown Montreal on Thursday as student protesters rallied, calling for Quebec’s post-secondary institutions to sever ties with companies linked to Israel and urging the federal government to take a stand against the ongoing war in Gaza.

Earlier this week, Dawson’s administration announced the cancellation of classes on Thursday following a decision by the college’s student union to participate in a Quebec-wide strike. The strike was organized by the Coalition de Résistance pour l’Unité Étudiante Syndicale (CRUES), a network of student unions from universities and junior colleges across Quebec.

Calls for Action and Divestment

CRUES outlined its goals in a public statement, emphasizing "the liberation and the end of genocide in Palestine and the Middle East." The coalition also called for institutions, corporations, and both federal and provincial governments to "sever all ties with Israel."

One of the protesters, Tameem Hartman from Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) Dawson, explained the group's objectives: "Our message is: disinvest and take a clear position against the genocide." Hartman joined hundreds of students outside Dawson College, where protesters chanted slogans such as, "We are all Palestinians!" and "Stop the bombing now, now, now!"

Broader Participation Across Quebec

The strike has garnered participation from various student unions, including AGEM, which represents 8,300 students at Collège Montmorency. Smaller associations at Concordia University, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université de Montréal, and other CEGEPs have also joined the effort, with some striking for two days and others for one.

At Dawson, students moved their protest to the nearby Concordia University campus for another rally on Thursday afternoon. Philippe Beauchemin, vice-president of internal affairs and communications for Dawson’s student union, said the strike stemmed from a motion presented by SPHR Dawson during the union’s annual general meeting. According to Beauchemin, 64% of the 700 attendees, a turnout significantly higher than usual, voted in favor of the motion.

“We’re here to give a voice to our students. We believe it is their democratic will that we are on strike today,” Beauchemin stated, noting the union had requested the college to close for the day to avoid any potential conflicts.

Wider Student Movement and Concerns

Earlier in the day, a smaller protest took place at Université de Montréal, where master's student Emile Lemousy, a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, criticized his university for its silence on the situation in Gaza and its lack of transparency regarding investments. "It's something that touches and worries students because we are financing this with our money, and we want to have a say," Lemousy remarked. He expressed hope that the strike could reignite a larger student movement advocating for Palestinians.

Reflecting on past protests, Lemousy noted that encampments held earlier in the year had disrupted universities and compelled them to acknowledge contradictions between their values and their financial ties to Israel. While there were no immediate plans to re-establish encampments, Lemousy speculated that they might return in the future.

The strikes and rallies highlight growing calls from Quebec’s student community for solidarity with Palestinians and for institutional accountability on investments linked to the conflict.