Several hundred McGill students and faculty met at the Y-intersection Wednesday, Sept. 29 for a rally in solidarity with MUNACA. This rally is a follow up to Monday’s, when members of the administration directly confronted students outside the James Administration Building.
Wednesday’s protest began at 11:30 a.m. and was led by the Mob Squad. John-Eric Hanson, a member of the Mob Squad, described the group’s mandate as an effort to mobilize students to become involved with campus issues.
“The protest goes to show the administration that people on this campus aren’t ready to give up on the MUNACA workers,” Hanson said.
“Hopefully the administration will start noticing us” Hanson continued, “and they’ll start acknowledging the legitimacy of our movement, and they’ll start acknowledging the legitimacy of the demands of the MUNACA workers. But that’s wishful thinking.”
From 11:30 in the morning until about 1 p.m., protestors marched around campus, gathering first at the SSMU Building and then at the main intersection on lower campus where students and faculty gave speeches through a megaphone and passed out information about the MUNACA strike.
Calvin Normore, a professor of moral philosophy at MacDonald campus, was one of many professors who spoke at the protest. Normore explained that he was drawn to the protest because it was a response to the administration’s policy.
“This protest was a response to the injunction and a response to the university’s efforts to prevent this from happening,” Normore said. “The university will respond to pressure if there is enough of it,” he added.
After speeches, protestors moved from the intersection on lower campus to the James Administration Building where they were met by four university security personnel at the building’s entrance.
Protestors stood outside the administration building chanting, calling for the administration to answer their questions, and calling for other students sitting outside to join them in their protest.
Among those gathered at the James Administration Building was SSMU VP External Joël Pedneault.
“I think the administration is getting the message [from our protests] … they care that people are protesting every other day in front of their administration building.”
