McMaster bars Pro-Palestinian protesters

Students can attend classes but aren't allowed on grounds due to involvement in encampment

- KATE MCCULLOUGH

Three McMaster University students involved with an encampment in solidarity with Palestinian human rights last spring have been banned from participating in campus activities outside academia.

The trio — Rand Clayton, Mason Fitzpatrick and Connor Galloway — said at a news conference Tuesday they were formally declared “persona non grata” (PNG) in mid-August, months after the encampment was dismantled after key demands for transparency, collaboration and communication were met.

“We settled on terms and we went home,” Fitzpatrick said, speaking on a public sidewalk outside the university. “But while we were resting and enjoying the new-found peace, McMaster was plotting its revenge.”