'Pro-mask, anti-curfew' protesters gather at Jeanne-Mance Park

Montrealersgathered atJeanne-Mance Park Sunday evening, calling for an end to the 8 p.m. curfew currently in place in much of the province.

About 300 people most of whom wore masksshowed up at the protest,marchingthrough the streets of thePlateau-Mont-Royal borough andcarrying signs with slogans denouncing the curfew and denouncing Montreal police.

Protest organizers said that while they support most public health measures in place, such as masking and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the curfew has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, including people without homesand those suffering from domestic violence.

"The curfew isn't an answer, the curfew is the repressive measure of a state that uses its police more and more in a futile attempt to address much wider issues,"Pas de solution policire la crise sanitaire, one of the groups behind the protest, wrote on Facebook.

"Real solutions exist to protect the most vulnerable from the pandemic: they involve directing resources to areas of real need and stopping the drive to save the economy at all costs."

"It's a really repressive measure that really has a negative impact on vulnerable people, so it's a classist measure,"added Chantal Montmorency, one of the protesters and general co-ordinator of l'Association Qubcoise pourla promotion de lasantdes personnesutilisatrices de drogues.

"Drug users, among other people, will not have access to supervised injection sites and the services they need."

Deputy PremierGenevive Guilbaulthas said that the curfew should not stop Quebecers from seeking help if they are in a situation of domestic violence.

Protestor Yann Robitaille feels the curfew isn't justifiable because there isn't enough data on curfews to prove they work.

Though the curfew is meant to discourage people from gathering in private residences, Robitaille says they manage to find other ways to do so.

"There are so many other things that could be put in place, whether it be ventilation in schools ormore tests," he said.

The protest started at around 5:30 p.m. and was mostly over by the time curfew neared.

Dozens of police officers followed protesters closely. The SPVM says one person was arrested for stealing and two tickets were issued for defying public health measures.

A separate group, many of whom were not wearing masks,defied the 8 p.m. curfew for a protest last week, which resulted indamage to several businesses in the Old Port and saw more than 100 tickets issued.