Anti-Police Brutality

Posted by Pierre Chauvin in From the Archives on March 21, 2013

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The annual Anti-Police Brutality march has been an institution for the past 17 years. Here’s a look back at notable events from past demonstrations:

• 2002

One of the first times the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal employs the “kettle” tactic—sealing off an entire street block to mass-arrest protesters, trapping 371 people.

• 2006

The demo is marked by the appearance of the Pink Bloc.

“A group of protesters representing the Pink Bloc group–queers against police brutality–were clad in strap-on dildos and pink outfits.

“Queers are harassed by police, and it’s because of homophobia and institutional violence,” member Leah Newbold told The Link at the time.

Thirty people were arrested.

• 2007

Fifteen people are arrested. The SPVM mediation team–often seen at demos in the last month to communicate between police and protesters—is working with the police at the time.

• 2008

McDonald’s gets a makeover and former The Link editor Darmon Van Der Linde gets arrested as the SPVM kettle 20 protesters.

• 2009

The SPVM kettles 150 protesters including two The Link editors.

Both are identified as media, but the SPVM don’t seem interested in releasing them.

“The media officer checked our credentials out and laughed at us, saying “everyone wants to be a member of the press when they get caught,” wrote The Link ’s reporter on the scene.

• 2010

The SPVM arrests more than 120 people including two The Link photographers.

Numerous undercover police officers infiltrated the demonstrated and made targeted arrests, more or less successfully.

• 2011

258 protesters are arrested after the SPVM decides to kettle protesters on St Denis St. for several hours.

For the fourth year in a row, a The Link reporter is arrested and ticketed. Features Editor at the time Adam Kovac recounts his experience getting kettled and arrested in the following issue.

• 2012

The Link sends a number of reporters and photographers into the demo to cover it live, as over 1,000 protesters fill downtown Montreal. Things get violent quickly, and what ensues is a few hours of vandalism, looting, mass arrests and an overturned police cruiser.

Taking place in the middle of a massive student protest against tuition hikes, both the cover and editorial made the it clear that the violence and destruction of the Anti-Police Brutality demo was not a student protest.

This video remains the most viewed on The Link ‘s YouTube channel. Two hundred and twenty-six were arrested.