Articles by Yusur Al-Sharqi

We can’t all be superheroes

One year ago, I wrote an article titled ‘Disruption is the essence of effective protest,’ arguing that radical activism is more effective than catering to the politically neutral, and that fence-sitters aren’t worth engaging with. But after another year spent watching and reporting on student activism, I can see that[Read More…]

Can art save us?

//Content warning: Sexual violence// In 2014, Lady Gaga performed //Swine//—a song about being raped by a music producer at 19—while an artist onstage shoved two fingers down her throat and vomited rainbow paint across Gaga’s body.  The performance was disturbing. It was also the most precise depiction of the feelings[Read More…]

BREAKING: McGill faculty pass historic resolution supporting academic and cultural boycott of Israel

On Oct. 10, 2025, the McGill Association of University Teachers (MAUT), which represents full-time professors and librarians, passed the Resolution to Endorse the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel—marking the first official collective action for Palestine taken by McGill faculty to date. The motion, introduced by ten professors across multiple[Read More…]

Serious reflections

The worst insult I ever received was at a parent-teacher conference. My third-grade teacher joked that I was “very serious” about school. I would have preferred it if she failed me.  Taking something seriously was, to me, horrifying. It was an insurmountably embarrassing hallmark of someone uncool, someone self-important who[Read More…]

Mohawk Mothers accuse McGill of concealing new evidence of human remains at the New Vic site

At a press conference on April 30, the Kanien’kehá:ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) alleged that McGill University and the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) found new evidence of human remains earlier this month at the site of the New Vic Project, where an ongoing investigation into possible unmarked graves is underway.[Read More…]

Point Counterpoint: A debate on pro-Palestine protest tactics 

Aggressive protest methods may alienate moderates, and make for less effective movements Daniel Miksha Over the past year, persistent protests played out on McGill campus in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Though smashed windows, encampments, and sod-pulling make headlines, some of these protest tactics alienate more politically moderate members of[Read More…]

Recap: SSMU Board of Directors meet on Nov. 26 to discuss governance and sustainability

The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU)’s Board of Directors (BoD) met on Nov. 26 in a hybrid session held in the SSMU Boardroom and on Zoom. The meeting focused on improvements to SSMU governance regulations, sustainability initiatives, and committee appointments. After introductions and attendance, the agenda was adopted without[Read More…]

McGill uproots tree planted during Haudenosaunee peace ceremony in solidarity with Palestine Solidarity Encampment

On Nov. 17, approximately 200 individuals gathered for a Haudenosaunee peace ceremony in which Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) women planted a white pine tree. The organizers then decorated it with white and purple rocks and a wooden placard commemorating the site where the Palestine Solidarity Encampment stood on the Lower Field for[Read More…]

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese joins McGill community for a talk on Palestine

Keffiyehs adorned the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) ballroom on Nov. 4 as over 200 students, professors, and community members gathered for a presentation from Francesca Albanese, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. During the talk, Albanese discussed her Oct. 1 report on human[Read More…]

Inaugural Palestinian Film Festival celebrates art, heritage, and hope

“I’m nothing without Palestine. Palestine is my everything, all my values are based on being Palestinian.” These words, spoken by a member who wished to remain anonymous of the Palestinian Cultural Club (PCC) at McGill, resonated deeply across the university’s campus on Friday, Nov. 8. That evening, the PCC hosted[Read More…]