A petition launched by a group called McGill Proud seeks repercussions for a graduating student who allegedly spat on the school president and faculty on stage during convocation.Video footage from last week shows Kyra Morfopos at the McGill University graduation ceremony. After her name is announced she walks across stage to accept her diploma, turning first to spit twice on the row of faculty, including the university president. The pro-Palestinian activist then unfurled a sign that reads ‘Divest from Death.’McGill, where anti-Israel encampments have been occupying campus space for six weeks, on Monday granted amnesty to protesters and has proposed to review its investments in weapons manufacturers, the Montreal Gazette reported. .“We, the undersigned, are appalled by the revolting conduct of graduate Kyra Morfopos at the McGill University’s Faculty of Arts Spring 2024 Convocation,” reads the petition. “Ms. Morfopos proceeded to make a grand and despicable display of spitting on faculty members, and then on the university president and vice-chancellor, before unfurling a political banner.McGill Proud calls her actions “disgraceful” and point out the act of spitting on someone violates Section 266 of the Criminal Code, “which designates spitting as a form of assault,” as well as McGill’s Code of Conduct.Morfopos “exhibited contempt toward McGill’s administrators and faculty,” “demonstrated callous disregard for fellow graduates and their families” and “deliberately and publicly brought the university into disrepute.”Graduation ceremonies are a “special and meaningful” event, much-anticipated by students and heir families, “not to be marred by politics or ugly behaviour,” petitioners wrote. They call on McGill to file criminal assault charges, ban Morfopos from any further study at McGill, and enact and enforce a policy prohibiting political statements at graduations “with violations punishable by revocation of diploma.”McGill officials in a statement to the National Post said its leaders “were focused on the ceremony itself, and therefore did not notice if the graduating student spat.”“It was, however, clear the student was yelling and highly disrespectful. The University remains firmly committed to peaceful and respectful dialogue, even on the most divisive and painful issues,” the statement reads. The school could not comment on “individual disciplinary processes or actions for students or employees to respect privacy, which is a right protected under the law and McGill’s codes and policies.”“When McGill’s Code of Student Conduct, other policies, or especially the law is breached, we do act,” school officials wrote. “McGill livestreams its convocation ceremonies; the video … is an upload of the complete livestream. Multimedia staff often cut to different angles during the livestream to focus on different aspects of the ceremony, which allows students and their families to celebrate an important milestone.”McGill on Tuesday confirmed to the Montreal Gazette in a statement the school plans to work to meet the demands of protesters; in addition to granting amnesty and considering divestment, the school has promised to disclose more investment information including holdings below $500,000 and provide funding for Palestinian students who have fled the war in Gaza.“The university extended an updated offer to members of its community in the encampment, going beyond previous proposals,” wrote school administrators. “This continued effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the encampment, which has been in place on the lower field for over six weeks, comes in addition to the university’s renewed suggestion to appoint a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate discussions.”
A petition launched by a group called McGill Proud seeks repercussions for a graduating student who allegedly spat on the school president and faculty on stage during convocation.Video footage from last week shows Kyra Morfopos at the McGill University graduation ceremony. After her name is announced she walks across stage to accept her diploma, turning first to spit twice on the row of faculty, including the university president. The pro-Palestinian activist then unfurled a sign that reads ‘Divest from Death.’McGill, where anti-Israel encampments have been occupying campus space for six weeks, on Monday granted amnesty to protesters and has proposed to review its investments in weapons manufacturers, the Montreal Gazette reported. .“We, the undersigned, are appalled by the revolting conduct of graduate Kyra Morfopos at the McGill University’s Faculty of Arts Spring 2024 Convocation,” reads the petition. “Ms. Morfopos proceeded to make a grand and despicable display of spitting on faculty members, and then on the university president and vice-chancellor, before unfurling a political banner.McGill Proud calls her actions “disgraceful” and point out the act of spitting on someone violates Section 266 of the Criminal Code, “which designates spitting as a form of assault,” as well as McGill’s Code of Conduct.Morfopos “exhibited contempt toward McGill’s administrators and faculty,” “demonstrated callous disregard for fellow graduates and their families” and “deliberately and publicly brought the university into disrepute.”Graduation ceremonies are a “special and meaningful” event, much-anticipated by students and heir families, “not to be marred by politics or ugly behaviour,” petitioners wrote. They call on McGill to file criminal assault charges, ban Morfopos from any further study at McGill, and enact and enforce a policy prohibiting political statements at graduations “with violations punishable by revocation of diploma.”McGill officials in a statement to the National Post said its leaders “were focused on the ceremony itself, and therefore did not notice if the graduating student spat.”“It was, however, clear the student was yelling and highly disrespectful. The University remains firmly committed to peaceful and respectful dialogue, even on the most divisive and painful issues,” the statement reads. The school could not comment on “individual disciplinary processes or actions for students or employees to respect privacy, which is a right protected under the law and McGill’s codes and policies.”“When McGill’s Code of Student Conduct, other policies, or especially the law is breached, we do act,” school officials wrote. “McGill livestreams its convocation ceremonies; the video … is an upload of the complete livestream. Multimedia staff often cut to different angles during the livestream to focus on different aspects of the ceremony, which allows students and their families to celebrate an important milestone.”McGill on Tuesday confirmed to the Montreal Gazette in a statement the school plans to work to meet the demands of protesters; in addition to granting amnesty and considering divestment, the school has promised to disclose more investment information including holdings below $500,000 and provide funding for Palestinian students who have fled the war in Gaza.“The university extended an updated offer to members of its community in the encampment, going beyond previous proposals,” wrote school administrators. “This continued effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the encampment, which has been in place on the lower field for over six weeks, comes in addition to the university’s renewed suggestion to appoint a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate discussions.”
