McGill students on hunger strike until university cuts ties to Israeli military, settlements
Since Monday (Feb. 19), around a dozen McGill students have stopped eating until the university adopts a Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) policy against Israel.
The hunger strikers are calling on McGill to divest from companies involved in weapons manufacturing or operating on illegal settlements. They’re demanding an end to academic partnerships with Israeli institutions with ties to the military occupation and settlements as well.
In 2022, the McGill administration threatened to withhold funding to the undergraduate student society (SSMU) after the adoption of a Palestinian solidarity policy which included BDS demands. Administrators claimed that policy violated “the University’s values of inclusion, diversity, and respect.” A 2023 version of that policy is on hold pending a student’s legal challenge.
In response to the hunger strike, McGill officials say they have offered to meet with participants and “encourage[d] them to take steps to preserve their well-being for the duration of the strike.”
