Chaos in the streets: Riot police disperse student protest (in Montreal)
Source: Montreal Gazette
Montreal is waking up to a morning of smashed windows, vandalized cars and questions about how a protest degenerated into yet another violent clash between police and demonstrators. Anger over a short-lived effort to put an end to the tuition crisis through negotiations bubbled over Wednesday night when a hastily-organized demonstration turned ugly and police used batons, pepper spray and percussion bombs to disperse the crowd.
After two hours of peaceful protest, police declared the march illegal and the situation unravelled quickly. Percussion bombs and pepper spray exploded at the corner of Peel and Ste. Catherine Sts., a car was set on fire at the corner of Stanley and Ste. Catherine Sts. and chaos ensued as the police started to push the crowd back using whatever tools they had in their arsenal.
Earlier in the night as thousands of students gathered at Place Émilie Gamelin, anticipation for violence was high but the demonstration started off peacefully.
There was no denying the anger at Education Minister Line Beauchamp’s decision to exclude the most militant student association – CLASSE – from talks, a move that was viewed as callous and divisive, but student leaders called on their members to demonstrate peacefully.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Chaos+streets+Riot+police+disperse+student+protest/6522255/story.html
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