A Predictably Violent Anti-Brutality Protest

NewsJulian Ward — Published March 15, 2012

Rocks were thrown. Windows were smashed. Flash-bangs were launched. And the age-old battle of police vs. protesters continued on the night of March 15.

Approximately 1,200 protesters marched through downtown Montreal for the annual Anti-Police-Brutality protest, which, as usual, erupted into violence shortly after starting.

Protesters threw rocks through police cruiser windows and paint bombs at police, all to yells from the crowd of “No justice, no peace. Fuck the police!”

One police car, parked in front of the Eaton Centre, was hit with paint bombs and had its windows smashed before being flipped over.

The authorities reacted by bringing out hundreds of police and riot cops who chased protesters throughout the streets for around four hours.

Tensions between the two groups rose throughout the night, culminating in a regathering at Berri-UQAM Metro where police successfully dispersed the crowd.

According to an SPVM media hotline message, over 100 people were arrested at this year’s march—so far. There’s still a kettle being sorted out by police outside of the Grande Bibliothèque. It is unclear which detention centre these people are being brought to.

Due to the hectic and scattered nature of tonight, which would be difficult to write about succinctly, we’ve compiled a timeline of tweets and photos from tonight in an effort to best convey the craziness that was Anti-Police-Brutality 2012.