McGill asks police for help as pro-Palestinian protesters dig in on 4th day of encampment

Despite rain, mud and the possibility of an injunction at the pro-Palestinian encampment on McGill University's downtown campus Tuesday afternoon, protesters say their spirits remain high.

They say they're staying put until the university divests from companies with business interests in Israel.

Some of those camping out overnight spread soil to absorb rain, dug trenches and scooped water with plastic pitchers. Others handed out yellow ponchos and umbrellas to protesters supporting them outside the gates. Dozens of people arrived to set up tarps and bring supplies including rain boots and food to the encampment.

Between chants like "rain or shine, we will stand up for Palestine," protesters blasted Arabic music and danced in the pouring rain.

On the fourth day of the encampment, police motorcycles stood nearby and an injunction request from two students asking a judge to prevent groups from protesting near McGill buildings wound its way through Quebec Superior Court.

Carl Bystram, who works at QPIRG-McGill and is taking part in the protest, said the university should make more efforts to listen to the students.

"It's quite disgraceful of McGill to be calling the police on this encampment," they said. "They should be more open to negotiations with students."

Earlier Tuesday, university president Deep Saini said in a statement sent to students and staff that McGill was resorting to calling for police assistance because officials "failed to reach a resolution" with protesters. 

Fabrice Labeau, McGill's vice-provost of student life and learning, spoke to CBC's As It Happens host Nil Köksal Tuesday evening, saying administrators had made several attempts to reach out to the groups protesting.

"The McGill participants in the encampment would refuse to put forward proposals through their legal counsel to us in terms of when they would end the encampment," Labeau said.

"We've seen an increase in the number of tents. We've seen the arrival of large numbers of people from outside the McGill community. And we've also heard the reports of antisemitic rhetoric being used, and this is under investigation on our end."

On Sunday, the university said it was investigating a video published on social media that included what it said were antisemitic remarks.

Tuesday, McGill shared the video with CBC News. The video lists McGill University as its location and includes protesters chanting "all the Zionists are racist, all the Zionists are the terrorists," as well as "go back to Europe." 

The video provided to CBC News contains the text "20 Jihadists against one Jewish Israeli student being told to go back to Europe."