Canadian student's "Spring of Discontent"

[Sam Lord]

The 10 week old campaign is intensifying. 12 arrested and 4 injured Friday as Premier Charest is besieged.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1165275--charest-speech-erupts-into-rowdy-protest-in-montreal

[Sam Lord]

4 cops and 7 demonstrators injured.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/05/04/victoriaville-student-protest-liberal.html

[Sam Lord]

Riot between Students and Police , Rock and Tear Gas Out at Quebec Canada May 4, 2012 - YouTube

Protesters riot at Liberal Party convention in Victoriaville - YouTube

[Sam Lord]

It seems that the students were lured into an ambush. The conference was moved from Montreal where the use of tear gas is prohibited to a rural Quebec location. There was practically no real security around the conference location and when protesters breached the token barricades the riot police emerged from behind buildings. They were bombarded with a gas called 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, or CS mixed with pepper spray which causes nausea, vomiting and loss of bodily-control. Rubber bullets were also used against them.

One student lost and eye, another had his spleen ruptured and another an ear almost severed. There were numerous cases of burst eardrums.

One students account:



I was responsible for one of the buses leaving from Montreal. With me were 35 students. My role was to ensure that all the students returned to Montreal safe and sound. I talked to them all about their rights with regards to the police, how to react in the event of an arrest, what questions they are obligated to answer as well as lawyers who they could contact. I warned them all that the SQ has different tactics than the Montreal Police (SPVM). That there would be a risk of tear gas used in Victoriaville, contrary to Montreal where use of the gas is prohibited. I explained first aid at protests, from Maalox to lemon juice, the best ways to react in the face of tear gas, pepper spray, chemical irritants. To be sure to change their clothes when leaving the demonstration, to remove all traces of chemical products, or even paint markings from police, sometimes invisible to the naked eye. It's the typical demonstrator's routine. We were all stressed knowing that at any moment, the bus could be intercepted by police, or even fully searched. We never feel safe from the police, even though we're only trying to defend our rights. Well, anyway, once in Victoriaville, the city was dead. Under siege. The streets were blocked, the business closed, windows fortified, the trash bins, public ashtrays and flower pots hidden far from anyone. We, unions, student associations and citizens finally head toward Hotel Victorin.

In front of the hotel, it seemed as though everything was set up by the SQ to explode. Feeble fences that were easy to dismantle, pallets of bricks for some renovation, and knowing that the parking lot next to the hotel was still under construction, so had an incredible amount of rocks and broken pavement. Why did the police recommend all the flower pots be removed while in direct proximity to the hotel, tons of bricks were visible? Once in front of the PLQ meeting place, the demonstrators calmly surround the fence. Quickly, the barricade falls; it was not by staying quiet and obeying that we would disrupt the congress. Citizens, elderly and students on the same side, the other side of the "security perimeter." Shockingly the police didn't immediately intervene, leaving us wondering about the legality of our actions. Then, the police disappeared to make space for the riot squad. By the dozen, marching in step. Each equipped with a much longer and more imposing baton than the SPVM and already equipped with gas masks. Apart from the dismantled fence, a totally passive and symbolic gesture, in my opinion, no sign of violence on behalf of the protestors. All of a sudden smoke starts coming from everywhere. The SQ launches phenomenal amounts of tear gas into the crowd. Demonstrators start throwing projectiles in response to this unrestrained attack. Eyes irritated, breathless, some of my comrades vomit from excessive coughing. This is the kind of moment in which one recognizes the solidarity of a people. Demonstrators aiding one another. The youth helping the elderly get away from the gas, explaining how to manage the situation. Students giving relief for victims' eyes on one side, a group transporting a gravely incapacitated comrade on another. We rinse our mouths to avoid swallowing more of this disgusting product; we look for our close friends to ensure their safety. At this point, the majority of people are behind a nearby residence. Slogans are barely heard, but mostly people are very confused. They don't know where to head across the battlefield. I look up, a helicopter is less than 30 metres above. An incredible roar extinguishes the sounds of the tear gas cans exploding nearby. To my left, clashes between police and demonstrators. In front of me, a heart attack, they're trying to resuscitate him. To my right, a student falls, his face covered in blood. His eardrum has burst. While a team of nursing students comes running, I do my best to keep onlookers from the scene, to make space for the ambulance team. The ambulance is late; the riot squad is blocking its arrival. There's panic, no one knows the comrade's state, but one thing is sure, we have to act fast. A police car approaches to bring help; people move to clear the path. The police chat with demonstrators who are screaming at them to hurry up and save this student. The only response is that the police car leaves while the man is still unconscious, on the ground. I approach the first aid scene, continuing to keep onlookers back. Then, as if by surprise, the riot squad pushes the demonstrators to within two metres of the injured youth. We all rush to make a human chain between the tear gas, pepper spray and the medical team who is trying to move the victim as quickly as possible. It was useless to shout "THERE IS AN INJURED PERSON HERE!" We were met with the usual insensitivity.




Tears come to my eyes. For once it's not from the tear gas. It's from seeing all this repression we are suffering, from seeing this regime of fear and the police state in which we are living. It's the realization of, once again, the injustice, the government's desire to see us silenced. A cry. A liberating cry. A cry signifying all my distress escaping from inside me. I can't continue. We retreat from the police force. A police officer tries to randomly arrest a young man, a dozen demonstrators run to his aid to free him. To my right I see the one with the injured ear in the ambulance. I turn myself, full-heartedly, toward the assembly of people.

Slowly, the demonstrators succeed in advancing toward the hotel. They see the door is blocked; they quickly change their course under threat of the batons. The battlefield has moved toward the parking lot with earth and pavement. In the demonstrators' anger, rocks are thrown at the police. A desperate expression of the rage of some.

After ten minutes, the SQ pulls out their pressure guns used to shoot rubber bullets. I carry a student to a portion of grass a bit behind to attend to her ankle. A student medic arrives right away to inspect the bleeding wound, "You'll need stiches my love. You have six hours to get to a clinic before the bandage loses effect." The riot squad succeeds in advancing a bit. Chaos then descends; everything is blurry in my head. All I can see is a silhouette falling. I turn. I recognize it. On the ground, my friend, covered in blood, his eyes bulging. Shouts from my friends, tears on my face. I shout to people to back up, to give him air. I turn toward the riot squad, to try in vain to protect him from further violence from these "agents of peace." I scream my rage at the riot squad. At that moment, they're less than nothing, pawns of the state. I feel powerless. Everything happens so fast. A friend takes me by the arm to pull me away. I walk, in the rain, toward the starting point. I cry, I can't go 20 metres without crumpling into a heap in the middle of the road. My body no longer follows my thoughts. We're not in a movie, we're not in the Arab world. We're in ******* Quebec?? I meet a teacher who tells me about the shattered teeth of a young girl she had helped, having caught a rubber bullet. Farther on, a friend from nursing tells me about the shattered knee cap of another boy. Finally I arrive at the bus. We are all on the ground.

On the bus, our clothes continue to give off gas. Everyone is coughing, everyone is blowing their noses. The atmosphere is heavy. Being in charge of the bus, I was quickly warned about the police blockades on the highways. Buses from McGill, Concordia and Montmorency were arbitrarily stopped on the highway headed toward Montreal. We are all on alert with all the police lights lighting the highway 20. A roadblock filled with about 30 patrol cars chills my blood. The bus is filled with students who have already been caught by police, who would love to arrest them without cause. Many of us don't have the choice to wear a mask at demonstrations, because of the police photos taken. Some of us are under telephone surveillance and are followed home. Since the start of the student strike, more than 1100 arrests have been made. The majority are arbitrary, for blocking traffic or illegal assembly. A large part of the students on the bus risk a recurring arrest if their bus is stopped by the highway patrol.

Luckily we arrived safely. After an incredibly emotional week, a particularly difficult day, it is inconceivable to contain our hatred of the current system. We go to sleep at night even more convinced that the government's attempt to divide us will only further unite us.

[C. Flower]

Quebec students planning a march of 250,000 were asked by the police to provide a map of the route.

via @soundmigration... (provenance not guaranteed)

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg859/scaled.php?tn=0&server=859&filename=yhmryf.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

[C. Flower]

Casseroles 'Pots and Pans' Montreal Protest Video - YouTube

Our thread on the Quebec students long protest. Pots and pans were got out across Canada last Thursday to protest against a new law to require advance notice of protests.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=11766

[C. Flower]

The biggest ever act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/23-5

[fluffybiscuits]

Pigs again proving why there is a distinct mistrust of them. They dont exactly win themselves many fans do they?

In other news related they are going to see if they can overturn the rule requiring them to having to submit a route before hand . Labour Unions also getting involved. This could grow to something bigger.

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/26-4#.T8IOS5dLL5E.twitter

Fight the system...

[Sam Lord]

The biggest ever act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/23-5

Quarter of a million participated. Not a bad little protest at all.

[Sam Lord]

Today marked, I believe, the 40th consecutive night of protest. The government pulled out of talks with the students on Thursday. The student struggle has been going on 4 months now and there have been hundreds arrested.

The demonstration today was immediately declared illegal as the protesters did not provide a route but the cops stayed clear.

The issue has become much more than a student issue with people of all ages and from all walks of life joining in.




“This isn't a student strike, it's a society waking up,” read a banner at the front of the march.


There is a big rally planned for Sunday.

Protestors are targeting the upcoming Grand Prix. An act of solidarity with the people of Bahrain I guesss.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1204973--montreal-students-plan-mass-rally

Meanwhile the Canadian government has brought in emergency legislation to end the nine day strike of the railworkers. The same was done with the postal workers last year. The right to strike no longer exists in Canada.

[Dr. FIVE]

big questions about right assembly here no?

[C. Flower]

Does this thread relate to the same movement as the posts about the Quebec students? Would it make sense to merge them, or are they better kept separate?

[fluffybiscuits]

Today marked, I believe, the 40th consecutive night of protest. The government pulled out of talks with the students on Thursday. The student struggle has been going on 4 months now and there have been hundreds arrested.

The demonstration today was immediately declared illegal as the protesters did not provide a route but the cops stayed clear.

The issue has become much more than a student issue with people of all ages and from all walks of life joining in.



There is a big rally planned for Sunday.

Protestors are targeting the upcoming Grand Prix. An act of solidarity with the people of Bahrain I guesss.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1204973--montreal-students-plan-mass-rally

Meanwhile the Canadian government has brought in emergency legislation to end the nine day strike of the railworkers. The same was done with the postal workers last year. The right to strike no longer exists in Canada.

This is what occupy should have been. The postal workers and the rail workers all getting on board like we had here in the 80's. You piss one off, you piss the whole lot off...

[Sam Lord]

Wed, Jun 6: A group that calls itself the ARmed Revolutionary Forces of Quebec has claimed responsibility for the nine packages sent to high profile targets in Quebec.


http://www.globalmontreal.com/video/index.html?v=nn10QiKwhU3_Bh05PhujK_qQPXQhnsKu#stor ies

Ho Hum. I smell a big rodent. I suspect that the RCMP are up to the same tricks they were during the FLQ "crisis":




As was the case with the Red Brigades in Italy, the existence of the FLQ provided all the justification the Canadian state needed to launch an all-out offensive against the revolutionary movement. This offensive began even before the Trudeau government invoked the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. Under the draconian provisions of the Act, however, (similar to the provisions of anti-terrorism legislation passed by the Chretien government in November 2001), Trudeau authorized the RCMP to take extraordinary actions against revolutionary activists. Rule of law was suspended, the armed forces were deployed and thousands of youth and student activists, not just in Quebec, but across Canada, were arrested and held without charges for weeks and months. Hundreds of members of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) were arrested during this time.

Trudeau’s mantra during this period is one that echoes eerily today: trampling the civil liberties of all Canadians was necessary to protect the country from the scourge of terrorism. The FLQ, Trudeau argued, posed a direct threat to Canada’s national security and territorial integrity.

A subsequent investigation about the abuse of police power during the 1960s and 1970s, the MacDonald Commission of Inquiry into Certain Acts of the RCMP, revealed that the FLQ was, from its inception, completely infiltrated by police agents. The Commission’s report, released in 1981 with the exception of one volume which has never been released for “national security” reasons, found police agents were responsible for planning and sometimes carrying out terrorist activities within the FLQ. The portion of the Commission’s report that was published detailed how the RCMP used paid agents within the FLQ (and other Canadian and Quebecois groups) to spy on and discredit the revolutionary youth and student movement. The Commission detailed 11 different types of activities carried out by RCMP agents that violated Canadian law.



http://www.modern-communism.ca/mc53503.htm

[morticia]

Wowee, protests in Canada! I am amazed; don't remember too many of those... Sure even the hockey games had electronic displays indicating when it was appropriate to cheer. Jeez, imagine those at a footy match on these islands...mind boggles, doesn't it ??

All is not well, I would imagine. I was briefly back there in 2010 for work reasons and couldn't believe how much the prices in the supermarkets had risen. Scientific salaries, however, have not risen much at all; I wonder is that also true for other employment sectors?

[Sam Lord]

Wowee, protests in Canada! I am amazed; don't remember too many of those... Sure even the hockey games had electronic displays indicating when it was appropriate to cheer. Jeez, imagine those at a footy match on these islands...mind boggles, doesn't it ??



The youth in Canada are politically years ahead of those in Ireland.

Shameful (for Ireland) .. but true.

[Count Bobulescu]

Cross posting with In Focus thread.

Beginning in February, students throughout Quebec began protesting against a proposed 75 percent hike in the cost of their tuition. Demonstrators staged strikes, sit-ins, and marches, in some cases drawing hundreds of thousands of participants and incurring hundreds of arrests. Quebec's government responded by passing a controversial emergency law, Bill 78, that places strict limits on free assembly, including a provision that requires demonstrators to submit protest plans and receive police approval. Reacting to the new law, hundreds of thousands more took to the streets to join the broadening protest. Now, four months later, nightly demonstrations continue across Montreal. These marches are called "casseroles," as participants use pots and pans to create noise and call for attention. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/06/the-montreal-protests-4-months-in/100315/

[Sam Lord]

Cross posting with In Focus thread.

Beginning in February, students throughout Quebec began protesting against a proposed 75 percent hike in the cost of their tuition. Demonstrators staged strikes, sit-ins, and marches, in some cases drawing hundreds of thousands of participants and incurring hundreds of arrests. Quebec's government responded by passing a controversial emergency law, Bill 78, that places strict limits on free assembly, including a provision that requires demonstrators to submit protest plans and receive police approval. Reacting to the new law, hundreds of thousands more took to the streets to join the broadening protest. Now, four months later, nightly demonstrations continue across Montreal. These marches are called "casseroles," as participants use pots and pans to create noise and call for attention. [39 photos]

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/06/the-montreal-protests-4-months-in/100315/

Great photos. Thanks.

[C. Flower]

This is a very serious movement, and the students have drawn in tens of thousands of older supporters.

As in Ireland, the student movement is going beyond the basics of protesting raising of fees, and is campaigning for free third level for everyone qualifying. And now, they have support for their stand to defend the right to protest and strike.

Amazing that this has not been reported at all in Ireland... or maybe not.

[C. Flower]

Stopthehike website of CLASSE, the biggest of the student organisations.

Organising a General Strike.

http://www.stopthehike.ca/

[C. Flower]

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?action=wp&feedId=11700


http://s.radioreference.com/i/p4/RR/smallRRLogo.gif (http://www.radioreference.com)


Montreal Police Live Audio Feed

[morticia]

The youth in Canada are politically years ahead of those in Ireland.

Shameful (for Ireland) .. but true.

That was seriously untrue when I lived in Alberta; but those were prosperous times. No one showed any interest in anything political until 911 happened and even then, that faded quickly enough. However, Alberta is so prosperous that perhaps it was unrepresentative both then and now.

[Sam Lord]

That was seriously untrue when I lived in Alberta; but those were prosperous times.

Seriously untrue? When was the last time students in Ireland put up any sort of serious struggle on any issue? Determining that might be a good starting point for the discussion.

[fluffybiscuits]

That was seriously untrue when I lived in Alberta; but those were prosperous times. No one showed any interest in anything political until 911 happened and even then, that faded quickly enough. However, Alberta is so prosperous that perhaps it was unrepresentative both then and now.

In order for a lot of people here to give a damn they must not be comfortable. Its almost like an awakening for some people when they see how much abuse they are being subjected to financially as they didnt notice they were getting bent over and raped in the Celtic tiger. I imagine the same is the case in Alberta, money is that plentiful that until they have to tighten the purse strings they dont mind what happens at the moment.

I remember students here in the union when I was in college didnt care. They saw positions in the union as being more of a status symbol rather than helping anyone.

[C. Flower]

Seriously untrue? When was the last time students in Ireland put up any sort of serious struggle on any issue? Determining that might be a good starting point for the discussion.

The students who invaded the Department of Finance two years ago, when it was first being infiltrated by the Troika, and got their heads battered, were at the forefront of struggle in Ireland. They were after the same thing as the Canadian students - it wasn't just a protest about their own fees - they were campaigning for the right of all young people to free third level education, and were very conscious they would get no personal gain from what they were doing.

There was a shameful silence from the trade union leadership (including the Students Union leadership) and from the media about the brutal attack on them, batoned over the heads as they sat on the floor. One girl was knocked out cold, thrown out onto the road and kicked by the Gardaí and spent two days in hospital.

Statement here from Michael Vipperman, Canadian student (Toronto) who turned down his degree in protest at the commodification of education.


Why I Must Refuse My Degree (short version)

I, Michael Vipperman, intend to renounce the degree I am being offered from the University of Toronto on June 14, 2012, in protest over the ongoing commodification and bureaucratization of education at this University, best exemplified by the increasingly intimate relationship between the University and such venemous institutions as Barrick Gold and the World Bank.

Education is an ongoing process, not a product which can be sold or received. However, the degree I am being offered represents an expensive end goal, accessible only to an elite few, not on the basis of whatever academic merit we may possess, but on our access to wealth and on our willingness to play by the rules of bureaucracy. It is a symbol of the priorities and values of this University, which in recent years has increasingly sacrificed quality on the altar of efficiency, constricting the freedoms both of students and of faculty. Meanwhile, funding priorities have emphasised generating wealth for industry over providing a quality education. This is the norm whenever such commodification takes place. One simply needs to observe the classroom sizes on this campus, where now even some tutorials are held in Convocation Hall, to be convinced of the extent of the damage done to the educational experience.

I stand in solidarity with the courageous students of Québec, who have been mounting fierce resistance against such political/economic warfare. They are clearly cognizant of where this road leads. Knowing that it is possible for us to do better, I would like to call upon my peers, in Canada and globally, to oppose the neoliberal hegemony that continues to deny what is rightfully ours: barrier-free education.

By rejecting my degree I mean no personal offence to either my peers nor the faculty at the University. I have fond feelings and the highest of respect for many who remain at this institution, and hold no ill will towards those who do not refuse their degree. However, I cannot stay true to my personal values and at the same time accept a degree from an institution which also honours and supports Barrick Gold and the World Bank. The values of this university are clear, and they are not mine. As graduating students, whether this is our first, second or third degree, we are all getting burned.

Thank you.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1211711--u-of-t-graduate-refuses-degree-in-convocation-protest

http://michaelvipperman.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/why-i-must-refuse-my-degree/

[Sam Lord]

Up to 10,000 turned out for the 100th consecutive nightly demonstration in support of the students in montreal.

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n611/boavista1/120801-Montreal100thNocturnalDemo-05.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n611/boavista1/120801-Montreal100thNocturnalDemo-06.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n611/boavista1/120801-Montreal100thNocturnalDemo-07.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n611/boavista1/120801-Montreal100thNocturnalDemo-21.jpg

[C. Flower]

Thanks for posting that. I read last week that these damn students just won't go away. :)

[20 yards of linen=1 coat]

Up to 10,000 turned out for the 100th consecutive nightly demonstration in support of the students in montreal.

Wow i didnt know that was happening at all! I remember reading stuff from people in France in October/November 2010 saying that they would wake up day after day, meet up in some common space to have breakfast and decide the days actions and then go from there. In order to be anything other than symbolic, marches need to happen on a regular basis, without any one group (like a union or political party) instigating them, and to be more than minimally disruptive.

Was on the critical mass in London the day the olympics opened and it was great fun, but it needed to happen every day that the olympics were running to have any kind of impact IMO.

[C. Flower]

Wow i didnt know that was happening at all! I remember reading stuff from people in France in October/November 2010 saying that they would wake up day after day, meet up in some common space to have breakfast and decide the days actions and then go from there. In order to be anything other than symbolic, marches need to happen on a regular basis, without any one group (like a union or political party) instigating them, and to be more than minimally disruptive.

Was on the critical mass in London the day the olympics opened and it was great fun, but it needed to happen every day that the olympics were running to have any kind of impact IMO.

Chile too -
http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=8895&highlight=Chilean+students

Most student campaigns are quite short lived, but these have real stamina.

[Dr. FIVE]

Students win! for now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/07/quebec-students-lesson-protest-politics?newsfeed=true


The Liberal government led by Jean Charest, which ran on a law-and-order platform against the students, has been defeated. Its plans to implement an 82% tuition fee increase are shredded for now, and the harsh emergency legislation it passed to quell the upsurge is history. Charest is resigning from politics. Two members of the leftist student group, Québec Solidaire, have been elected, and the party gained more than 6% of the popular vote.

[Dr. FIVE]

crikey

[C. Flower]

crikey

crikey, indeed :)

[Sam Lord]

Students win! for now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/07/quebec-students-lesson-protest-politics?newsfeed=true

:)

[Baron von Biffo]

Students win! for now

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/07/quebec-students-lesson-protest-politics?newsfeed=true

"They consciously sought alliances with [...] public sector workers facing cuts"

Not the way we do things here. Our little arseholes want to see PS workers take more cuts.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=11505

[Dr. FIVE]

There isn't even solidarity between students let alone Students and PS

[Sam Lord]

The Mick Wallace look is sweeping the political world.

Candidates of the leftist and sovereigntist Quebec Solidaire

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n611/boavista1/bannierebiln.jpg

:eek:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Qu%C3%A9bec+solidaire+falls+short+election+goal+se ats/7189894/story.html

QS has nearly doubled it's membership to 13,000 this year on the back of the student protests.

[C. Flower]

There isn't even solidarity between students let alone Students and PS

The Union leadership in Ireland, including the Students Union, seems to be the biggest obstacle to any effective opposition to "austerity."

[Dr. FIVE]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74JQQf4zfg4

[Dr. FIVE]

The Union leadership in Ireland, including the Students Union, seems to be the biggest obstacle to any effective opposition to "austerity."

much worse then an obstacle in many cases.