Aug 29, 2012
Student protests broke out on college campuses in Montreal for the second day in a row on Tuesday following the enforcement of a winter make-up term at all Quebec universities that were hit by student strikes earlier this year. As striking students marched through classrooms, banged on desks, and blew horns, Montreal police were called in and ultimately detained up to 21 protesters.
To make up for classes missed during last term's widespread student strike, Quebec students were required to return to class early this week in accordance with the contentious Bill 78. The bill, now known as the "anti-protest law," was passed earlier this year, spawning mass protests and Canada's largest act of civil disobedience.
This week's protesters were attempting to blockade classes at the University of Montreal and the University of Quebec at Montreal in a bid to continue their strike.
Confrontations between police and students have been ongoing since Monday on the campuses. At one point police confronted 50 protesters on the fourth floor of the Jean-Brillant building at the University of Montreal, who had locked themselves in the building, ignoring warnings from police to vacate the premises.
Following the protests, however, the University of Montreal announced Tuesday evening that it was suspending classes for the remainder of the week in the departments of anthropology, film studies, art history, East Asian studies, video-gaming studies and comparative literature. In total, 47 classes have been suspended in the departments in which student associations voted to continue their boycott.
FAECUM the student federation representing roughly 37,000 students at the University of Montreal, said they were happy with the school's decision to "reconsider their strategy" but criticized the administration for using excessive means to deal with the protesters.
"The measures they took were totally disproportionate. There were nearly 50 cop cars for maybe 50 protesting students," said federation spokesperson Alexandre Ducharme.
Over 31,000 students remain on strike across Quebec.
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Student protests broke out on college campuses in Montreal for the second day in a row on Tuesday following the enforcement of a winter make-up term at all Quebec universities that were hit by student strikes earlier this year. As striking students marched through classrooms, banged on desks, and blew horns, Montreal police were called in and ultimately detained up to 21 protesters.
To make up for classes missed during last term's widespread student strike, Quebec students were required to return to class early this week in accordance with the contentious Bill 78. The bill, now known as the "anti-protest law," was passed earlier this year, spawning mass protests and Canada's largest act of civil disobedience.
This week's protesters were attempting to blockade classes at the University of Montreal and the University of Quebec at Montreal in a bid to continue their strike.
Confrontations between police and students have been ongoing since Monday on the campuses. At one point police confronted 50 protesters on the fourth floor of the Jean-Brillant building at the University of Montreal, who had locked themselves in the building, ignoring warnings from police to vacate the premises.
Following the protests, however, the University of Montreal announced Tuesday evening that it was suspending classes for the remainder of the week in the departments of anthropology, film studies, art history, East Asian studies, video-gaming studies and comparative literature. In total, 47 classes have been suspended in the departments in which student associations voted to continue their boycott.
FAECUM the student federation representing roughly 37,000 students at the University of Montreal, said they were happy with the school's decision to "reconsider their strategy" but criticized the administration for using excessive means to deal with the protesters.
"The measures they took were totally disproportionate. There were nearly 50 cop cars for maybe 50 protesting students," said federation spokesperson Alexandre Ducharme.
Over 31,000 students remain on strike across Quebec.
Student protests broke out on college campuses in Montreal for the second day in a row on Tuesday following the enforcement of a winter make-up term at all Quebec universities that were hit by student strikes earlier this year. As striking students marched through classrooms, banged on desks, and blew horns, Montreal police were called in and ultimately detained up to 21 protesters.
To make up for classes missed during last term's widespread student strike, Quebec students were required to return to class early this week in accordance with the contentious Bill 78. The bill, now known as the "anti-protest law," was passed earlier this year, spawning mass protests and Canada's largest act of civil disobedience.
This week's protesters were attempting to blockade classes at the University of Montreal and the University of Quebec at Montreal in a bid to continue their strike.
Confrontations between police and students have been ongoing since Monday on the campuses. At one point police confronted 50 protesters on the fourth floor of the Jean-Brillant building at the University of Montreal, who had locked themselves in the building, ignoring warnings from police to vacate the premises.
Following the protests, however, the University of Montreal announced Tuesday evening that it was suspending classes for the remainder of the week in the departments of anthropology, film studies, art history, East Asian studies, video-gaming studies and comparative literature. In total, 47 classes have been suspended in the departments in which student associations voted to continue their boycott.
FAECUM the student federation representing roughly 37,000 students at the University of Montreal, said they were happy with the school's decision to "reconsider their strategy" but criticized the administration for using excessive means to deal with the protesters.
"The measures they took were totally disproportionate. There were nearly 50 cop cars for maybe 50 protesting students," said federation spokesperson Alexandre Ducharme.
Over 31,000 students remain on strike across Quebec.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.