Montreal, Quebec – One person was arrested and at least three people were injured at Concordia University after an altercation related to the Israel-Hamas war lasted nearly three hours and turned violent, police said Wednesday.
Montreal police (SPVM) said they were called to the university in downtown Montreal at around 1:30 p.m. and helped security guards manage two groups of students at the Henry F. Hall Building.
Police say the conflict “degenerated” between the two student groups. Concordia confirmed the clash involved “Pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, including students but also people from outside our community.”
Several videos posted on social media show students shoving and swearing during violent exchanges.
One of the videos shows what appears to be a booth set up in the building to raise awareness about the missing Israeli citizens who were taken hostage on Oct. 7 by Hamas, which Canada has designated as a terrorist organization.
The SPVM said the police intervention ended at around 4:15 p.m.
A 22-year-old student was arrested for assaulting a 54-year-old security guard, the SPVM said. The student was released on a promise to appear in court.
A 19-year-old security guard, as well as a 23-year-old student, were also injured “as a result of assaults” during the altercation.
Police say all three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries and did not need to go to hospital.
The police investigation is ongoing.
“We do not tolerate intimidation or violence on our campus and we will be looking further into today’s incident. The safety of our community is our priority,” wrote a spokesperson for Concordia in an emailed statement.
