Montreal – Thousands of students protesting against the provincial government’s austerity plan took to the streets of Montreal again on Tuesday. Several thousand students marched against Austerity on Sunday marking the beginning (a ramping up) of actions among student groups, culminating with a Strike on April 2nd. #Spring2015.
Thousands defied @SPVM & marched thru streets of MTL tonite in opposition to austerity & capitalism. #manifencours pic.twitter.com/ERLRRLkWsA
— Jaggi Singh (@JaggiMontreal) 25 Marzo 2015
As the march made it’s way on Tuesday evening police made several attempts to disperse the protest. They used the tactics of charging at the group in an attempt to split-up the march, while making several violent arbitrary arrests of those who were caught on the fringes of the group to effect morale. The Link reported:
Four people were arrested early on, according to the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal: two for armed assault and another two for assault. Violent clashes with police occurred at Rene Levesque Blvd. and Sanguinet St., as well as Drummond St. and Sherbrooke St. W. Two protesters were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the SPVM, and one officer was injured. The streets of downtown Montreal were lit up by firecrackers, sparklers, and a boombox playing Rage Against the Machine and old-school Genesis, where over a few thousand protesters marched and occasionally sprinted while denouncing austerity. A standoff between police and protesters occurred at the corner of Drummond St. and Maisonneuve Blvd. around 10:40 p.m. Protesters launched objects including a construction cone at officers. Police responded by trying to disperse the crowd with tear gas and pepper spray. In addition to tear gas and pepper spray, the police also shot rubber bullets at the crowd, which grazed a protester in the head.
Nora Loreto of Rabble reports the events as they happened to her outside of her residence, when the police finally kettled in a group of around 100 people. Police had already used baton charges, tear gas, pepper spray and barrages of rubber bullets to try and disperse the students.
Video of kettle at Ville de Quebec City #printemps2015
RT @NoLore: #manifencours pic.twitter.com/hKlinmSLlc
— ㉿ (@kayoazul) 25 Marzo 2015
RT @twowaywinger: Rubber bullets fired. Someone hit in head. Almost got hit myself @Linknewspaper #manifencours pic.twitter.com/zxnjrlhq0u
— 99%Média (@99Media_org) 25 Marzo 2015
police firing sound bombs, pointing rubber bullet guns at close range, thousands scattered downtown #manifencours pic.twitter.com/VIBLke9QWv
— Stefan Christoff (@spirodon) 25 Marzo 2015
Share this video directly on facebook:
#Montreal tonight full of protesters against austerity policies #printemps2015 #manifencours photos: @lukashermsmeier pic.twitter.com/tPUr0BSZmY
— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) 25 Marzo 2015
Police also attacked early on during the daytime march, pushing back protesters and striking them with batons soon after the group left Place Emilie Gamelin on Rene Levesque Blvd. Footage below from mid-day protests shows officers striking demonstrators with batons near Place Ville Marie. Police then searched demonstrators and loaded them onto a city bus.
CBC reported on the midday police violence:
Montreal police arrested three people for assaulting officers, one for wearing a mask and about 30 as “preventive arrests” at a midday anti-austerity protest on Rene-Levesque Boulevard downtown near the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.Police say protesters tried to enter an office building. A scuffle broke out after officers arrested a demonstrator for wearing a mask, violating the municipal P-6 bylaw. One officer suffered minor injuries to his jaw.Police then surrounded all the demonstrators, containing them on Réne-Lévesque Boulevard.
Jaggi Singh, a member of QPIRG Concordia and known activist in the community, says momentum has been building against austerity in the past few days.
“Today’s demo was very spontaneous; it’s a complete defiance of P-6,” he said, referring to the by-law which makes it illegal to march without an itinerary. “It’s also meant to highlight opposition to capitalism.
“If you think austerity is scary, wait ‘til you hear about capitalism,” he said.
99Media Live broadcast the nights events. Archived video below and more can be found here. Students marched chanting: 1234 This is Fucking Class War! 5678 Eat the Rich and Smash the State!
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