Content warning: Antisemitism and violent threats
A recent act of antisemitic vandalism at McGill is raising renewed concerns about campus safety for Jewish students. The graffiti, found in a bathroom stall in the Faculty of Medicine, read “Kill all Jews” and “Jews out of McGill Med.” An official statement from McGill administrators states that the incident is under investigation, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if a perpetrator is identified.
A spokesperson for McGill reiterated the University’s stance against antisemitism in a statement to The Tribune, writing that the administration is actively working to protect and support Jewish students.
“McGill unequivocally denounces all forms of antisemitism and anti-Jewish hatred and reaffirms its dedication to preventing and combating such discrimination,” the spokesperson wrote. “The University has taken concrete steps to support the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and visitors. McGill also regularly reassesses whether additional steps are needed to reinforce its efforts to maintain a safe, inclusive and welcoming campus.”
While details surrounding the bathroom vandalism remain limited, the incident follows a pattern of reported antisemitism on campus, sparking concern from student groups such as the Medicine and Dentistry Jewish Association (MDJA).
“The presence of these messages within a medical school, an institution dedicated to the preservation of life above all else, is particularly disturbing,” the MDJA wrote in an official statement on the incident. “Calls for our exclusion and elimination undermine not only the safety and dignity of Jewish students, but also the foundational values of the profession we are preparing to enter.”
The Tribune contacted the MDJA, Chabad McGill, Hillel Montreal, and McGill Chavurah for comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.
In response to the recent graffiti, Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) McGill told The Tribune that they perceive the University’s conflation of anti-Zionism and antisemitism as heightening tensions on campus for Jewish students.
“IJV McGill understands this current climate as one which necessitates a wholly different approach to centring Zionist discomfort and modes of understanding incidents of discrimination and hate speech—while nevertheless condemning and seeking accountability for hate speech, such as in the Medicine Faculty.”
Regarding the University’s actions moving forward, McGill’s spokesperson referenced the Working Group on Antisemitism (ASWG) at McGill, which did not respond for comment in time for publication. The Working Group launched in Fall 2025 to assess how antisemitism manifests on campus and to recommend strategies for prevention and response. Among its areas of focus, the Working Group has examined anti-Zionism and its relationship to antisemitism. This issue has been contentious at McGill, with disagreements among Jewish student groups about the definition of antisemitism.
“While members of IJV McGill have engaged in University Channels, such as the university’s committee on antisemitism and anti-Israeli discrimination, we have felt uncomfortable doing so out of an unwillingness to legitimate structures which […] implicitly equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism—all while no such committee exists for Palestinian students at McGill.”
IJV then claimed that the incident demonstrates the administration’s attempt to homogenize Jewish perspectives.
“This transgression imposes itself far more heavily on our community’s conscience than Sharpie in bathroom stalls,” IJV wrote.
The rise in antisemitism on campus reflects a broader nationwide trend. An email containing violent death threats and references to explosives was sent to roughly 125 organizations across Canada—the majority being Jewish institutions. In Montreal, Jewish school Yeshiva Gedola was targeted in two separate shootings less than a week apart in November 2023. And more recently, two synagogues in the Greater Toronto Area were hit by gunfire.
Existing channels for reporting incidents of harassment, discrimination, and anti-Jewish hate through McGill include campus security or the Office for Mediation and Reporting. Further, students can file complaints through the Student Affairs Liaison for Jewish Students and the ASWG’s confidential form. Faculty and staff can refer to the Employee and Family Assistance program for confidential support, and students can reach out to the Student Wellness Hub, which offers counselling services, and GuardMe for 24/7 mental health support from anywhere in the world.