Concordia students call for police to be barred from campus

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Concordia University students are calling on the school to no longer allow police officers on campus following recent arrests during student-led protests.

At a news conference Friday, students demanded the university commit to barring police from campus and alleged the school’s security team has unfairly targeted pro-Palestinian students in recent months.

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“Our students have been arrested, detained and even physically brutalized all while conducting non-violent political demonstrations,” said Danna Ballantyne, a representative of the Concordia Student Union.

The news conference came a day after two students were arrested during a protest calling on police to be barred from campus.

The student union says one of the students was tackled by campus security before being aggressively arrested by police officers. It also points to three arrests that took place in late September following a pro-Palestinian walkout on campus.

“We deserve to come to campus to learn and have open dialogue without fearing for our safety,” Ballantyne said.

In an email response Friday, a spokesperson for the university said police are only called to campus when deemed necessary and in accordance with the school’s policies.

“Our (security) agents are trained in de-escalation and that is always the primary objective of their response,” wrote spokesperson Fiona Downey.

“Yesterday’s events serve as a sad example of circumstances deemed to warrant SPVM intervention,” Downey added. “A (security) agent sustained minor injuries and others were blocked as they attempted to assist their colleague.”

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The Montreal police department declined to comment on the recent arrests or allegations of excessive force, given the possibility of criminal proceedings. It said anyone who feels they were wronged during a police intervention can file a complaint.

“SPVM police officers will go to the Concordia University campus when an event requires police intervention, at the request of its security service,” wrote spokesperson Caroline Labelle. “The SPVM may also arrive on site following a 911 call.”

Vanessa Massot, the student union’s academic and advocacy co-ordinator, said Concordia students first voted in favour of pressuring the university to no longer allow police officers on campus back in 2020.

The issue has been pushed to the forefront over the last year, however, as activism and on-campus tensions have risen over the Israel-Hamas war. Massot said the student union’s efforts to engage with the university over the issue have so far been met with “nothing but inaction.”

Joining the students on Friday, Concordia professor Norma Rantisi stressed students should be commended for taking part in social movements and pushing for justice, not be repressed.

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Rantisi spoke to the university’s long history of student activism and noted how the presence of police on campus can trigger strong emotions in some.

“We must reclaim our university,” Rantisi said, “as a genuinely public and nurturing space that inspires, rather than suppresses, the exchange of knowledge and vigorous debate on the most pressing issues of our time.”

In a statement issued in late September, Concordia president Graham Carr denounced how some protests have sought to disrupt classes or included instances of vandalism.

Carr said he was also concerned about the “violent escalation” of recent protests on campus. A few days after the arrests during the walkout, several of the university’s windows were smashed in or spray-painted.

“Whatever political or ideological differences exist between us,” Carr wrote, “we have a larger collective responsibility to maintain a climate of respect  —  one free from hate and intimidation  —  on our campuses.”

jfeith@postmedia.com

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