Students Declare Their Demands Remain Regardless of Election Results

‘Night Demonstration’ Ends With No Arrests

NewsJane Gatensby — Published April 7, 2014

An election-night student protest held on Monday was broken up by police three hours after it started. According to police, no arrests were made and no tickets were issued.

The march was organized by the Université du Québec à Montréal’s Association facultaire des sciences humaines and was titled “Provincial elections: Whatever the results, our demands remain the same.”

“Plus haut, plus fort, pour que personne ne nous ignore,” the crowd chanted.

At its peak, the crowd reached around 400 people.

Protesters gathered at Place Émilie-Gamelin at 8 p.m. and began marching west on Ste. Catherine St. at around 8:45 p.m. Protesters carried a sign which read “Act instead of elect” in French. The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal announced over loudspeakers that protest had been declared illegal.

Marchers were accompanied by a heavy police presence as they took a winding route around the eastern part of downtown Montreal. Around 150 people were still marching when the crowd passed by Berri-UQAM metro station at 10:15 p.m.

The crowd wound its way north, down Ste. Catherine St., and turned on St. Laurent Blvd., continuing to Viger St. Protesters continued marching until 10:45, when police announced that they would begin dispersing the crowd.