A pro-Palestinian encampment in Montreal is the scene of clashes

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed Tuesday in a downtown Montreal square, where a new encampment to protest the war in the Gaza Strip was set up over the weekend.

The two groups were separated by a line of police at Victoria Square, about a kilometer south of a similar encampment in the lower area of ​​McGill University’s downtown campus.

Earlier in the day, demonstrators at Victoria Square demanded that the manager of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec withdraw from its investments linked to Israel and that the provincial government close its office in the Middle Eastern country.

Rabbi Reuben Poupko, one of the counter-protesters, said the presence of the encampment in a public space was discouraging and that the manager of Quebec’s pension funds should support Israel because of the country’s prosperity and democratic values.

The City of Montreal Police Department claims to have agents on the ground to monitor the situation while respecting people’s rights and freedoms.

In response to the protest, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec said its total investments in Israel represented only a small fraction of its portfolio, but the fund manager did not say it would divest from the country .