Darine Houmani- Montreal

McGill University in Montreal is witnessing this week a one-week student strike—an exceptional event, as this strike does not involve students from a single organization or from just one faculty at McGill, but students from 19 faculties across the university, along with several youth organizations supporting Palestine. The strike was declared after a series of positions, sit-ins, and demands calling for an end to cooperation with Israel, the most prominent of which was the student encampment at McGill and Concordia Universities calling for both institutions to divest from Israeli companies—including an arms manufacturer—and to cut financial and academic ties with Israel.

The students announced in their statement:

“No business as usual during genocide! Shut it down for Palestine!
Students at McGill are making it clear: there will be no business as usual during genocide, and we will make sure our administration understands that! We cannot stop at a single day strike if we want to win divestment - we have to disrupt McGill’s web of complicity completely, all the time. Let’s carry the momentum and build towards a culture of striking at McGill and across the city!

The strike week includes several events on campus organized by the student movement SPHR McGill (Students for Palestine’s Honour and Resistance) to raise funds for Gaza. These include poetry readings, including a reading of the poem by martyred poet Refaat Alareer at the Islamic Studies Library; a lecture on settler-colonial complicity in Morris Hall; a banner-making event; booths selling pieces and symbols of Palestinian heritage; and a seminar titled “Gaza as a Compass for Thinking,” featuring Professor Alia Al-Saji.

The documentary “5 Broken Cameras” will also be screened. Directed by Emad Burnat, the film tells—through the story of Burnat and his five broken cameras—the tale of the peaceful popular resistance of the Palestinian village of Bil’in against the separation wall and settlement expansion on its lands. Emad Burnat, originally a Palestinian farmer, filmed every scene of the documentary. The film has won numerous international awards.

Another documentary, “Rooted in the West Bank,” will also be shown. It tells the story of the Atta family, who have farmed the Baq‘a Valley in the West Bank for centuries. But since Israel’s occupation in 1967, Israeli settlers have gradually seized their lands, and their homes and ancient agricultural terraces have been attacked and destroyed. The story spans 25 years of one farmer’s struggle to remain rooted in his land—a moving testament to the profound humanity of a single man facing increasing settler violence and intimidation.

Rama Al-Mallah

To discuss the background of the strike, we met with activist and McGill University student Rama Al-Mallah from the SPHR organization.

Al-Mallah explains that the initial mobilization did not come from SPHR alone, saying:

“The strike was not organized by SPHR McGill. It was organized by many students from different faculties within the university. And this, in my opinion, is the most beautiful part of it; we were not the ones leading it—Palestine has become a central issue for all students. Students themselves began organizing and leading these activities.”

She added that the initiative was launched by students from diverse faculties, including English, Mathematics, Physics, Sciences, and others:
“Students from these departments decided to organize strikes within their own departments without belonging to a single group. Some belong to organizations, some do not belong to any group, and some were simply participating in demonstrations.”

Regarding the next steps, she said:

“At SPHR, we are now focusing on organizing events related to Gaza. And now that aid has begun to enter little by little despite major challenges and obstacles, we are directing our efforts toward fundraising and campaigns that support the steadfastness of our people in Gaza. We want to help keep the Palestinian cause present and alive at the university, even amid the current ceasefire.”

Rama explains how the decision-making process happened within the departments:

“Each department has a student association. Students in each department approached their association and expressed their desire to hold a General Assembly. They met and voted on a strike decision—either for or against. This process was repeated in 19 departments across the university.”

As for the statements sent to the university administration by student associations, she clarifies:

“There are many statements. The student union at the university clearly announced its demands and called on the administration to cut all ties with Israel. So far, the administration has not responded. We have tried repeatedly to contact them and send messages, but without any response.”

Regarding any reaction or engagement from the university administration toward the mobilizations, Rama replied:

“Instead of responding, the administration sent security officers to monitor students and try to identify them in order to issue the usual disciplinary measures. They did not engage with the demands nor interact with them positively; instead, they began repression and disciplining students.”

On last year’s events and the concern about tracking and punishing participating students, she explained:

“Many students whose names were recorded during the demonstrations received disciplinary charges. Each time, we had to find lawyers or faculty representatives to defend them. We witnessed such measures during last year’s encampment, as well as throughout other incidents during the year between students and the administration over support for Gaza. And now, some students have already begun facing these measures with the start of the strike.”

Regarding faculty positions at the university, Al-Mallah said they vary:

“There are professors who support us and stand with us, but a large number take no position. In previous strikes, the administration sent messages to professors asking them not to respond to students, not to adjust schedules, and not to participate in the strike. Thus, some professors take a stance against the mobilizations, but on the other hand, there are also those who support us.”

To discuss the activities taking place during the strike, we contacted an activist from SPHR who explained the background of this initiative, the working mechanisms, and the challenges faced on campus.

The activist explains that the main motivation behind organizing these events is the continued obstruction of food and medical aid reaching Gaza, along with the destruction of most civilian infrastructure, which has left families with very limited means of support. The organizers state:

“It is our collective responsibility to provide assistance to our people in Gaza.”

She adds that the week of November 17 sees widespread student mobilization across Montreal universities, including marches, strikes, and events in support of Palestine, and that SPHR McGill has joined this movement with a week dedicated to fundraising.

Four different events were organized, including a poetry evening, a coffee hour, film screenings, and fundraising activities:
“Our events are designed to educate about Palestinian culture, history, and resistance.”

SPHR confirms that fundraising is being carried out for the Canadian Palestinian Foundation of Quebec (CPFQ), a Montreal-based nonprofit that works with reliable local partners inside Gaza. They explain:
“All donations from this campaign go directly to their emergency food and humanitarian programs.”
The campaign aims to raise $10,000 as part of a broader goal of $100,000, under the banner “For the Children of Gaza.”
“We provide direct support to children and displaced families in Gaza by supplying clean water, food, shelter, medical assistance, and warm clothing with winter approaching.”

The student movement faces challenges due to university restrictions. She says:

“In an attempt to suppress pro-Palestinian activism on campus, McGill University’s administration cancels any campus bookings related to SPHR.”
The student movement notes a strong response from students:
“We have witnessed their steadfast belief—reflecting our shared commitment not to abandon Gaza.”
They have also received meaningful support from faculty members, as the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT) voted in favor of an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.

SPHR sees the strike as contributing to awareness and mobilization, saying:
“We are a unified student front for Palestine, standing alongside students on all fronts who continue to mobilize in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
They emphasize the interconnected political and humanitarian dimensions of their work:
“It is our duty as Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students to continue organizing for Palestine. The university has long been a complicit actor, but we refuse to let that deter us from standing with our people.”

The activist notes that the university administration exerts various forms of pressure:
“McGill University has engaged in a legal battle in an attempt to ban student protests… an attempt to silence the divestment movement.”
She also points to direct punitive measures:
“McGill called the police on its own students, issued disciplinary actions, and hired private mercenaries (SIRCO) to monitor students.”
She believes these pressures only confirm the effectiveness of their work and strengthen their commitment.

Since the beginning of the escalation in Gaza, the student movement has raised more than $57,000, and aims to collect an additional $10,000 at the start of December for the CPFQ’s “For the Children of Gaza” campaign. The movement views organizing from within the university as a key part of the role of students in the diaspora:

“The student movement is the main pillar of the diaspora front… and it is our duty as Arab students to organize these efforts at our universities. By building connections between universities and strengthening ties with student unions and faculty members, we actively resist one of the core aims of the Oslo Accords: dismantling coordinated Palestinian institutional organization in the diaspora.”

The activisit believes that these activities have left a lasting impact:
“Students are more mobilized and engaged than ever before,” and she notes tangible shifts in student awareness, including students voting for the first time for a general strike last April, and achieving record turnout for the October 7 vote calling for university divestment.