The protest encampment at McGill University was the first of its kind in the country, and its dismantling this week has left activists and observers wondering what comes next for the pro-Palestinian movement in Canada.

Protesters at McGill are promising to continue putting pressure on the university to end its investments connected to Israel害羞草研究所檚 military and cut ties with Israeli institutions in response to the war in the Gaza Strip.

害羞草研究所淲e will make McGill divest. We will make all complicit institutions divest,害羞草研究所� said Eric Rogers, who said he was 害羞草研究所渇orcibly removed害羞草研究所� Wednesday from the lower field of McGill害羞草研究所檚 downtown Montreal campus, on which dozens of tents had been set up since late April.

害羞草研究所淓ven if it is the end of the encampment, it害羞草研究所檚 nowhere close to the end of the movement.害羞草研究所�

But the removal of the McGill encampment follows a wave of closures of campus protest sites across the country, leaving questions about how activists will now make their voices heard.

害羞草研究所淚 suspect that it might be the end of encampments for now, but there will be other ways of trying to hold institutions to account,害羞草研究所� said Ted Rutland, a professor at Concordia University who supported the McGill encampment. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 no doubt the spirit here is very committed, and for good reason. This is the cause of our lifetime.害羞草研究所�

On Thursday, pro-Palestinian groups at McGill and Concordia universities announced an evening demonstration at Phillips Square near the McGill campus. 害羞草研究所淭he dismantlements will not stop us!害羞草研究所� reads a poster advertising the event.

Rutland said he expects more direct action going forward. 害羞草研究所淲hether it害羞草研究所檚 blocking highways, blocking ports, blocking railroads 害羞草研究所� I think everyone understands that that害羞草研究所檚 the kind of action we need right now.害羞草研究所�

On Tuesday evening, hours before the encampment was removed, Montreal Mayor Val茅rie Plante was evacuated from a council meeting after it was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.

McGill is one of several universities to see protests shut down in recent days. Last week, an Ontario judge granted an injunction against a two-month-old encampment at the University of Toronto. According to University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, that decision provided 害羞草研究所渁 road map for other institutions害羞草研究所� looking to dislodge their own campus protests.

In recent days, organizers of several Ontario encampments opted to clear out, including at the University of Waterloo, Western University, and the University of Ottawa. Encampments at universities in Guelph and Windsor are expected to come down in the coming days.

Memorial University in Newfoundland referenced the injunction to clear out a pro-Palestinian protest camp last week on its St. John害羞草研究所檚 campus.

Protesters at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver ended their encampment over the weekend, saying they were leaving voluntarily.

There are still a few remaining campus protests, including at the University of Victoria in B.C. and at Dalhousie University in Halifax. 害羞草研究所淭he idea that one can simply occupy space on a university campus for months on end, I think that害羞草研究所檚 quite clearly over,害羞草研究所� Geist said.

Now, he said, people are waiting 害羞草研究所渨ith bated breath to see what happens in September,害羞草研究所� when students return to universities across the country. If they try to reoccupy campuses, he said, 害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 think there害羞草研究所檚 much doubt that (universities) would take steps to try to bring those to an end quite quickly.害羞草研究所�

Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B害羞草研究所檔ai Brith Canada, said he hopes the era of encampments is over. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 frustrating that it took this long 害羞草研究所� for universities across the country to really take action against the encampments,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 my hope that institutions have learned a lesson from allowing these (protests) to become established, and that they would be more proactive in preventing them moving forward.害羞草研究所�

The dismantling of the McGill protest did not follow directly from the University of Toronto injunction. Two Quebec Superior Court judges had previously rejected requests for injunctions against the encampment, and the university was seeking another.

In the interim, McGill said it hired a firm to investigate the encampment and found that most people sleeping there were unhoused, and that there were health and safety risks on the site, including drug use. The university then decided there was an 害羞草研究所渦rgent害羞草研究所� need to take down the camp.

Still, Rutland said the McGill encampment served a purpose, even if the students害羞草研究所� demands weren害羞草研究所檛 met. 害羞草研究所淚 think that it planted the demand of divestment in the public mind,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淎nd I think it provoked a debate about the ways in which we, without knowing it, end up supporting things that are contrary to our values.害羞草研究所�

McGill has said it will explore divestment from weapons manufacturers.

In nine months of bombardment and offensives in Gaza, Israel has killed more than 38,200 people and wounded more than 88,000, according to the territory害羞草研究所檚 health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

During an Oct. 7 raid, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities. The militants took roughly 250 people hostage. About 120 are still in captivity, with about a third said to be dead.

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