Camp intifada? Anti-Israel encampment to host revolutionary summer camp at Canadian university

An anti-Israel protest encampment at McGill University in Montreal is set to host a revolution summer camp for youth starting Monday, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill has announced.

Posted on Instagram with a promotional image of keffiyeh-garbed men reading while  armed with light machine guns and rifles, the summer camp doesn’t clarify the age of campers, but promises to “educate the youth of Montreal and redefine McGill’s ‘elite’ institutional legacy by transforming its space into one of revolutionary legacy.”

“The daily schedule will include physical activity, Arabic language instruction, cultural crafts, political discussions, historical and revolutionary lessons,” said SPHR McGill, which organized the program in coordination with SPHR Concordia University.

Topics of the camp

The first session of the camp is set to run for four weeks. The first week will cover “the history of Palestinian resistance,” followed by weeks devoted to the “ongoing Nakba,” the different fronts of the movement, and media after October 7.

The subjects of the first camp week are “the beginning of resistance,” “pan-Arabism,” “The Palestinian Liberation Organization: From Al Karameh to Oslo,” “Islamic Resistance,” and the “Axis of Resistance.”

The program has been launched in coordination with SPHR Concordia University.

Federation Combined Jewish Appeal and Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Quebec issued a joint Friday statement calling on McGill University to defund SPHR and not allow the fostering of “hate and toxicity” at the encampment.

“Authorities must act to dismantle the toxic encampment immediately, or the antisemitism, hate, intimidation & harassment will continue to metastasize,” said the Jewish organizations.

Bnai Brit Canada noted on Friday that the announcement of the camp came not only three days after McGill President and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini offered encampment occupiers amnesty and exploration of divestment from weapons manufacturers, but also the storming of the James administration building by protesters on June 6. Montreal police had arrested multiple demonstrators who had, according to Saini, barricaded entrances and vandalized the interior.

The situation at McGill is well out of control and has been for some time,” said B’nai Brit Canada research and advocacy director Richard Robertson on Friday. “We call on McGill and the local authorities to ensure that the university’s property is not used as a forum to incite violence against Israel and Jews. The plan for this so-called program further disproves the myth that these illegal encampments are about democracy and peaceful protest. They are, in fact, a hypocritical assault on Canadian values and Western norms as a whole.”