MillenniumPost
World

25 held in Canada for tuition fee hike protest

At least 25 people were arrested after hundreds took to Montreal's streets, protesting against plans to raise tuition fees - as well as against Canada's hosting of the Formula One Grand Prix.

The march began peacefully on Saturday, with some of the 500 protesters banging pots and pans and some wearing carnival masks. But when the marchers neared Crescent Street and its Formula One stands, they were blocked by police who used tear gas to disperse the crowd. An AFP correspondent saw a young man dressed in black handcuffed by police and subjected to a body search.

The press service of the Montreal police said the arrests were targeted and more could be expected during the night.

Three police cars with broken windows and covered with graffiti were seen in the streets. Earlier in the day, three protesters were arrested outside Grand Prix events. A man and a woman who, according to police, carried 'pyrotechnical devices', were seized at Jean-Drapeau Park, while another person was detained near a downtown metro station with a can of spray paint. Students see on Sunday's Grand Prix race as an 'elitist event.'

But they also want to take advantage of the media presence and international visitors to publicise their fight against proposed tuition hikes.

However, La Classe, the student union considered to be the most radical, reiterated on Saturday that it had no intention of disrupting the Grand Prix. Its spokesman, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, noted though that the organization was not able to control the behavior of all the groups affiliated with it.

In a speech at the Festival of Solidarity in Montreal, Nadeau-Duibois also called on labour unions to band together with students to breathe new life into the protest movement.

Earlier in the day, about 200 demonstrators - mainly women's rights groups but also anti-corporate protesters - marched against Formula One's Grand Prix.

Marchers hit the streets behind a huge banner condemning prostitution and stopping near several hotels where they said prostitution was common.
Next Story
Share it