Montreal police deployed tear gas to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, on Thursday, Al Jazeera reports.

Police initially formed a barricade on the street, but as the protest grew and spread to the campus square, more officers in riot gear were deployed. An hour into the protest, police entered the administration building, where demonstrators had barricaded themselves.

They closed the windows and removed the protesters’ materials.

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill released a detailed statement on Telegram, criticising the university for rejecting their demands to divest from companies linked to Israel.

“Students have barricaded themselves inside to reclaim the university, which continues to fund and support the genocide of the Palestinian people,” the statement read. “As Zionist forces advance into Rafah, committing atrocities, McGill administrators shamelessly maintain their financial and academic connections.”