While demonstrations are far from new phenomena in Canada, the last several months - and indeed - recent days, have put the question of where it is acceptable to protest under an increasingly intensified lens.
As administrators at McGill University this week declared a pro-Palestinian encampment on its grounds "illegal", the vast majority of Canadians say protesting on university campuses is "acceptable" (81%) either in the absence of an exclusion zone (37%) or with one defined and in place (44%.)
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds broad acceptance of demonstrations at public buildings - such as city halls (92% acceptable) and embassies (87%) - while there is more resistance to demonstrations at hospitals (43%) and abortion clinics (40%). Among those who say demonstrations at hospitals or abortion clinics are okay, more tilt towards the requirement of a buffer or exclusion zone between protesters and the institution itself.
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