Montreal police hand out fines after downtown student protest

Montreal police made one arrest and fined more than 180 people Thursday afternoon after kettling a group of protesters on St-Denis Street near Ontario Street during a student demonstration.

The protest, organized by the student groupASS, was declared illegal by Montreal police at around 3:30 p.m.,and a crowd of about 180students were loaded onto police buses.

Meanwhile, inside the halls ofUQAM'sHubertAquinPavilion onSte-CatherineStreet,agroup ofabout 40 peoplesome maskedchantedloudly and demanded the resignation of the university rectoras they marched through the building.

Profs, students call forUQAMtop brass to quit

A group ofUQAMstudents and professorsisdenouncing what it saysare the school administration's extreme and unnecessary actions throughout the student strike.

In recent weeks,UQAMhas called in policeto break up several demonstrations and blockades at university buildings.

The group is calling for the university's top administrators to resign.

• UQAMstudents barricade themselves inside university building
• UQAMstudent protesters cause cancellation of another 6 classes

At a news conference this morning,Ren Delvaux, a student at the university,said that the school's actions have exacerbated the situation, leading to heightened tensions.

Delvauxspecifically cited the recent expulsion of nine students, saying their removal waspolitically motivated. He condemned the administration for silencing students.

"They created this situation," he said.

UQAM professor MarcosAncelovicisaid he believed the administrationand specifically the rector were negotiating in bad faith.

Minister supports rector

Quebec's Education MinisterFranoisBlaissaid he stands bythe rector of theUniversitduQubecMontral, RobertProulx,who took actionto quell violence that eruptedinside auniversity's buildingduring student protests.

"We support you, and we believe that your university will be able toovercome the actions of just a small group of students,"Blaissaid at a news conference this afternoon in Quebec City.

• Quebec student protests: What you need to know
• UQAMstudents barricade themselves inside university building
• ASSstudent group plans to ramp up spring protests

Blaissaid he would not address the issues of the rightto education or the rightto strike, but he repeatedthe government does not "recognize the right of certain people, even as part of a democratic process, to prevent other people from going to class."

Students trash UQAM building

His comments come only hours after a group of students and professors atUQAMcalled for the resignation of seniorUQAMadministrators in the wake of a violent clashbetween protesters and police inside the university'sJ.A.DeSvePavilion overnight Wednesday.

Over the course of the lengthy protest, 26students who occupied the buildingwere arrested.

On Wednesdaynight,a large group of protesters barricaded themselves inside theschool's J.-A. DeSve Pavilion.

Students occupied the building in downtown Montrealas part of the ongoing student-strike movement.

Twenty-onepeople had been arrested at UQAMduring an afternoon protest.

Our constitution protects the right to peaceful assembly and I think intimidating other people, disrupting courses, damaging property is not peaceful assembly.- Geoff Kelley, Quebec MNA

The evening protesters' occupation was to express displeasure with those arrests, as well as a statement made by UQAM Rector RobertProulx, who said that the university has the legal obligation to continue teaching courses to students who paid their tuition.

Beginning sometime in the late evening, protesters barricaded the doors with chairs, tables and other objects.

RAW: Dramatic footage from UQAM occupation and police intervention

9 years ago

Duration 1:44

Police officers broke a window to get into UQAM overnight after students barricaded themselves inside one of the school's buildings.

They littered garbage all over the floor of the building, spray-painted graffiti on walls,broke vendingmachines and overturned almost everything that wasn't bolted down.

Police eventually broke a window to enter the building and put an end to the occupation just after midnight.

"There was a small group of people waiting for us with fire extinguishers and all kinds of projectiles that was thrown in the direction of police officersIt was a heck of a confrontation," said Cmdr. Ian Lafrenireof Montreal police on CBC Daybreak Thursday.

He said police had to wait for the university'sauthorization to enter the building. Once inside, officers made a statement announcing people had to leave.

Lafrenire said protesters left.As people poured into the street, they left behind a trail of garbage and destruction.

Officers used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Police said several cruisers were damaged, a few people were fined and that one person was arrested for assault with a weaponagainst a police officer.