Dawson students walk out against ministry investigations and Palestine censorship

Between 200 and 300 Dawson College students and Montrealers walked out of class on Wednesday, March 26, to protest the Quebec government’s ongoing investigations into CEGEP course content discussing Palestine. Organized by SPHR Dawson, the protest called for an immediate end to the Ministry’s investigations and the resignation of Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry, citing violations of academic freedom and political interference.

Since December 2024, Dawson and Vanier College have been under Ministry investigation following the Palestine strike on November 21 and 22, where over 90,000 students, including 11,000 from Dawson College, participated. The investigations, denounced by the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec (FNEEQ), have targeted teachers and courses discussing Palestine, raising concerns about government overreach in academic institutions.

Students and faculty have reported an increasingly repressive climate. They say Ministry investigators interrogated teachers, administrators, and student union members both online and in person, and that the Ministry has also attempted to obtain student club records, including executive names and contact details. SPHR has also said that investigators have entered prayer spaces at Dawson and Vanier College without consulting Muslim student associations. Many view these actions as an effort to intimidate and silence Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students advocating for Palestinian rights.

After gathering at Dawson College, students marched through the streets to McGill University, demonstrating solidarity with ongoing campus activism for Palestine. Minister Déry, who previously worked for CIJA, has been widely criticized for conflict of interest. Protesters demanded not only the immediate end of the investigations but also the resignation of Déry for her role in undermining academic freedom and student activism.