Montreal protesters march near Jean Charest's home

Thousandsof people returned to Montreal's streets Monday night, some of themmarching toward Premier Jean Charest's home as they continued to protest against tuition hikes and Quebec's newBill 78 emergency law, which has been criticized as suppressingcivil liberties.

Many of the protesters wore stickers reading: "I Defy Law 78," the province's new legislation that imposes strict rules on protests and heavy fines for those who break them.

Police said they tolerated the demonstration because it was mostly peaceful. There were several incidents of vandalism, the CBC's Alison Northcott reported, but nothing on the scale seen in other protests in recent days.

The protestin Montreal's tony Westmount neighbourhood appeared to be heading toward Charest's home, amid chants to bring the gathering there, butpolice blocked off the road near Charest's house.

Riot policealso blocked St-Denis Streetat De Maisonneuve Boulevard,nearwhere violence unfolded on the weekend, as well as the entrance ramp leading to the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

Following one of the most chaotic weekends of protests so far, in which 20 people were injured and some 300 arrested on Sunday alone, a group describing themselves as the "white bloc" took to the streets with the stated aim of encouraging a peaceful march and preventing hooliganism.

Some volunteers reportedly stood guard in front of banks to dissuade vandalism as the crowd marched past.

3 months of demonstrations

The protests against the Liberal provincial government's plan to hike tuition fees by 70 per cent over the next five years have raged on for more than three months.

The recently introducedBill 78, which is mean to quell thedemonstrations, has been decried as anti-protest legislation. The lawwasadopted Fridayand effectively outlawsrallies of more than 50 people unless police are consulted at least eight hours ahead of time and informed about routes and timing.

The presence of hundreds of protesters downtown on Monday was yet another mass display of defiance of the law. Police were hoping to avoid a repeat of Sunday's violence, in which at least 20 people were injured, including 11 officers. None were seriously hurt.

The latest demonstration comes the day before a march planned for Tuesday to mark 100 days of student action. That rally has already received support from a coalition of unions and civil society groups.

In recent days, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore and Montreal band Arcade Fire also expressed theirsupport for the movement.

Student organizers estimate that 150,000 college and university students are still on strike.