The Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante has angrily accused Montreal riot police of “police brutality” and “savage intervention” after learning that police used taser guns and pepper spray to control crowds of student demonstrators.
Over 40,000 students across Quebec launched a three-day strike on Tuesday in protest of the provincial government’s decision to increase tuition fees by $500 per semester for the next five years. Thousands of students staged an anti-government rally yesterday at Dorchester Square in downtown Montreal, led by ASSÉ.
After failing to get the support it needed to launch a full-scale strike ASSÉ, known for advocating free tuition in Québec, eventually opted for a three-day walkout. Small groups of students illegally stationed themselves outside Université du Québec à Montréal and the CEGEP Vieux-Montréal.
On tuesday morning, 105 people were arrested for barricading a street with plywood, vending machines, and a toilet. The protesters, who used fire hoses and extinguishers on riot police, face charges of assault, assault and battery, and public mischief.
“Police brutality is no way to treat those who dare to fight for social change,” said ASSÉ official Hubert Gendron- Blais to the Montreal Gazette.
