The largest, longest student protest in the history of North America is happening now in Quebec, Canada. Hundreds of thousands of students and supporters join together to protest tuition hikes and the passage of Law 78, the new anti-protest law, which does not allow for unpermitted marches of over 50 people. As a sign of protest supporters wear red felt squares pinned to clothing, on bike helmets, and etc. Signs of protest are everywhere.
On Wednesday night in Montréal, we shared a long dinner with student organizers, discussing everything from police tactics in Montréal and New York to the necessity of an anti-racist and anti-colonial framework for our movements. Our hosts noticed that, around the time that the nightly 8:30 p.m. march was supposed to begin, we were getting nervous about missing it. They laughed and said, “Don’t worry, it will go on until 2 a.m.” Or at least they normally do.
By midnight, after peacefully and joyfully marching through the city for hours, the police charged our march of about 4,000 people with batons and pepper spray.
Original article posted in Waging Nonviolence May 25, 2012 and written by Manissa McCleave Maharawal and Zoltán Glück.
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