July 22nd was no different

Students have been having marches the 22nd of each month since March, and July 22nd was no different. While the daily marches have petered out with the summer heat, the marches on the 22nd have not. 

Students are getting ready to continue their protests in the fall, and hopefully if there are fall elections, all the youth will be going to the polls and making their opinions known. Maybe Charest will NOT get in again and it will change the political climate in Quebec. 

Casseroles night in Canada

Pots and Pans video in Quebec goes viral

Casserole night in Canada :)

We're inspired by the Quebec student strike and the popular uprising in Quebec against Law 78 and the Charest government, so ... On Wednesday, May 30, starting at 8pm, people from coast to coast to coast all over Canada are showing solidarity by banging pots and pans everywhere! This will be the first of many casseroles nights across Canada. Once Quebec student students stop the tuition hike and Law 78, we're all going to Stop Harper together! *

Nous sommes inspiré(e) par la grève étudiante et le mouvement populaire du Québec contre la loi 78 et contre le gouvernement Charest. Mercredi le 30 mai, à partir de 20h, les gens de partout au Canada montreront leur solidarité en faisant entendre un tintamarre de casseroles, joyeux oui, mais qui symbolisera aussi notre colère et notre exaspération. Ce sera la première de plusieurs soirées de tintamarre à travers le Canada. Une fois que nous aurons atteint la victoire quant à la hausse des frais de scolarité et que la loi 78 sera abrogée, nous pourrons aussi stopper Harper ensemble!"

The media and the rest of Canada have the Quebec student protests all wrong

Great blog via Huffington Post discusses how the media, and in my opinion, the rest of Canada have the Quebec student protests all wrong. 

Editorial cartoon from "Le Devoir" - Caricature du Devoir

Also amusingly, in the past couple of weeks, suddenly articles about Canada and Quebec have appeared in Al Jazeera. Here is there latest.  Usually they never write about us because we're too boring :)

Nightly protests and percussive civil disobediance

Most mornings now I sift through dozens of news articles on the events of the night before. One of the fears that came through last night is that the nightly protests will have a serious impact on Montreal's tourist season.  It really doesn't help that some journalists have written pretty one sided pieces making Montreal sound like Russia.

What's for sure is that there are nightly protests. Not just marches but people in various towns and cities are picking up pots and pans and spoons and making lots of noise at 8pm. It has yet to spread to my Montreal suburb but it's just a matter of time.  It's an activity that can include every member of society from babies to grandparents!

I haven't gone downtown with my vehicle in some time and don't intend to. Going downtown by train will remain my preferred method of travel.  As it goes, if you use underground public transport like the metro or the train, you can get around Montreal with the minimum of disruptions caused by the ongoing protests. 

Montreal is the city of festivals, perhaps this summer it will be mainly the festival of the pots and pans with whatever repercussions it might have on our tourism. 

What started in Montreal with the Occupy movement has now fuelled the student movement and will continue because people are fundamentally unhappy with how our governments work.

First there was the Arab spring now there's "le printemps érable" :)

Video de Mardi le 22 Mai - Etat Policier au Quebec

Etat Policier - Episode1

It's sad - more arrests in student protests then during FLQ crisis in Quebec

Quoted from the Toronto Star:

"More than 2,500 people have been arrested in a months-long dispute that has catapulted the province onto international news pages, which is at least five times the number jailed during the 1970 FLQ crisis that saw martial law declared in Quebec."

This despite the fact there has been no deaths, just protests. Which proves one of the things I've been saying for months, under this government we have no rights. We should have the right to protest!

Lots of arrests in La Belle Province last night..

Over 500 people were arrested in Montreal and Quebec city last night.  I've got to wonder, like some of those who were arrested at Occupy Montreal, how many of those arrested last night got UV tagged?

Anyone who gets arrested at protests should check their hands under UV light if they get the chance!

I stood outside at 8pm, and it was very quiet. No one in my neighbourhood was banging on pots and pans I was disappointed I must say. Just a couple of dogs barking back and forth and being annoying :( I banged my pot a few times and went back inside.