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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Protesters in Montreal arrested
MONTREAL -- Police moved swiftly to shut down a protest in Montreal on Saturday after a series of violent clashes between demonstrators and officers in riot gear created havoc a day earlier.
Eighty-nine people, some wearing masks and goggles, were arrested after Saturday's protest was declared illegal, said Montreal police spokesman Daniel Lacoursiere. A 24-year-old man was arrested earlier for obstruction of justice.
Demonstrators had gathered in the rain near Old Montreal to denounce a conference on Premier Jean Charest's plan to develop northern Quebec.
"I think people are starting to get frustrated," said Myriam Moore, a 21-year-old student at Université du Québec Montréal, who watched the scene unfold. "The police are abusing their power."
Many protesters wore the red square that has become a familiar symbol of the student movement against the province's planned tuition hikes, though their grievances were more far-reaching on Saturday.
Those protesting included a group of hardline Quebec separatists, along with students, environmentalists and First Nations groups.
Lacoursiere said it wasn't clear how many of those arrested were students.
Security remained tight throughout the day around the Palais des congrès de Montréal convention centre as police tried to make sure protesters didn't slip through. Conference participants were asked for identification.
Protesters cleared out by late afternoon after the rainfall grew heavier. There were no reports of vandalism.
The protests were far more rowdy a day earlier. Hundreds of protesters clashed with police outside the convention centre -- and some managed to get inside -- forcing Premier Jean Charest to delay his speech by nearly an hour.
Friday's clashes resulted in 17 arrests and some of the most violent confrontations with police since protests over tuition fees began more than two months ago.
Charest's highly publicized Plan Nord promises to develop a 1.2-million-square kilometre stretch of the province's north over the next 25 years through new mining and energy-production projects.
He says the plan will create 500,000 jobs, but opponents say that's unrealistic and argue it's a sellout of Quebec's resources.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 22, 2012 A5
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