Protest calls on McGill to change 'Redmen' sports team name

CTV Montreal: Protest at McGill Students are planning a protest at McGill, calling on the school to change the name of their men’s sports teams.

A group of students are planning a protest outside McGill University on Wednesday afternoon, calling on the school to change a sports team name they call racist.

In mid-October, first-year student Tomas Jirousek called on the school to stop using the name Redmen for its mens’ sports teams, saying the term is derogatory and hurtful.

Jirousek, who is a member of the school’s rowing team and is of Indigenous ancestry, said the school has ignored the history of racism against Indigenous people in Canada.

The school has said that the name, which has been used since the 1920s, was originally derived from the colour traditionally worn by the teams, but acknowledged that connections with Indigenous symbols and connotations have been attached to the term ‘Redmen’ over the years.

In 2016, a university task force on Indigenous studies issued a report that recommended changing the name.

Another university working group on commemoration and renaming is expected to issue its own report at the end of the year, after which the university is expected to announce a decision.

“By McGill agreeing to change the Redmen name, it would demonstrate it values the lived experiences and the stories that have been told by Indigenous people and its impact on the relation between Indigenous people and the university,” said Jirousek.

The protest is set to start at 2:00 p.m. in James Square the corner of Milton and University.