Reactions to Iran International's exclusive on McGill's campus protests

Police stand between counter-protesters and a protest encampment in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at McGill University’s campus in Montreal, Quebec, Canada May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Peter McCabe
Police stand between counter-protesters and a protest encampment in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at McGill University’s campus in Montreal, Quebec, Canada May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Peter McCabe

Reaction has been pouring in since Iran International broke the story that the Islamic Republic is behind the behind the anti-Israel protests at McGill university in Montreal, Canada.

The report, revealed data from an American cyber company, XPOZ, which unearthed the networks, posting to social media about the McGill encampment protests.

It found that 60 percent of Pro-Palestine campus protestors were not authentic online users. The data indicates the presence of coordinated Farsi-speaking accounts, suggesting a targeted campaign. By comparison, 75% of commentators critical of the encampment were authentic.

Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto area, Kevin Vuong, posted to X that Iran International's reporting only confirmed what he had already suspected and had previously raised concern about.

The Independent MP also reposted a video taken from Canada's House of Commons from May, where he questioned the potential architects behind campus protests on Canadian soil.

A Canadian senator from the province of Quebec also weighted in on the discussion.

Analysts revealed to Iran International that the network driving the McGill protests had been promoting narratives supporting the IRGC and the government of Iran while proliferating rhetoric against Israel and US.

“When you look at something that is happening in Montreal, Canada, you expect most of the users to be writing in English or French. Or you would expect most of them to be primarily engaging in other posts in English or French. It’s natural to see other languages but up to a certain point. What we saw here were users that were primarily writing in Farsi or that their followers were writing in Farsi,” said an XPOZ analyst.

They added the users were not Iranians living in Canada and not regular citizens in Iran but rather tied to the Islamic Republic.

Gabriel Noronha, who served as the Iran advisor to the US State Department during Trump's presidency, posted to X that he visited Montreal in May and was shocked by the "vitriol and militancy at the anti-Israel encampment on McGill's campus."

He said "the Iranian regime was stoking the fiery discourse online."

Several experts like Eitan Fischberger, an international relations and Middle East, reposted the article.

Israeli-American journalist Emily Schrader posted her thoughts, asking if there could be more Canadian university campus protests which had its flames stoked by the Iranian regime.

Prominent Canadian human rights activist Yasmine Mohammed, who was forced to marry an Al-Qaeda operative, and later made a harrowing escape, said Iran International's report, exposes the truth.

XPOZ analysts said their data demonstrate that Canada is subject to the use of deceptive mass influence campaigns coordinated by foreign governments, like Iran, to target Canadian society through proxies to deepen divides and threaten national security.