RESISTANCE AND RESTRAINT
A march by about 100 protesters led by the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality ended peacefully yesterday. Police tactics were noticeably gentler than in past marches
As in years past, the annual march against police brutality was declared illegal and kettled in by riot cops minutes after it began. But unlike years past, no injuries, no broken windows, and only one arrest were reported.
About 100 protesters led by the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality ( COBP) gathered at Berri and Ontario Sts., a symbolic location where Alain Magloire, a mentally ill homeless man, was fatally shot by police last year.
Police easily outnumbered the marchers, who wanted to bring attention to what they see as increasing political repression and profiling by security forces. A police PA van announced they were allowed to protest in place, but not disrupt traffic, since organizers did not provide an itinerary as mandated by municipal bylaw P- 6.
The group set forth westbound on Ontario St., anyway, and were quickly blocked by a line of shielded riot squad. Other squads blocked the east side of Ontario and southbound on Berri. The only open path was north through the Berri St. underpass. And when the group was fully within its concrete walls, two riot columns intercepted them on both sides, effectively walling them in.
No windows to smash, no cars to overturn.
STM buses converted to mobile ticket counters booked the protesters one by one, handing out 92 $ 504 fines. But these were not fines for participating in an illegal march. Rather, they were for disrupting traffic, a violation of the Highway Safety Code. Two people were fined for violating bylaw P- 6, police said.
Only one person was arrested on Criminal Code charges, police spokesperson Abdullah Emran said. Eight police cars were vandalized with spray paint.
A young woman trapped in the kettle said it’s more important than ever to speak out, given the recent social uprisings and the police repression that ensued. She cited the Occupy movement and the antiausterity protests as examples.
“Since I was little, I was told that police are there to protect us. But as I grow older, I realize I don’t feel safe around police,” Livia Dallaire, as student, said. “Police violence is more flagrant, more common than ever.”
Two smaller marches took place at the same time, one up St- Laurent Blvd. and another on Phillips Square. The first one was allowed to proceed because the itinerary was given to police ahead of time. The other ended similarly to the one on Berri St.
Police tactics were noticeably gentler than past marches, which tended to end in mass arrests after store windows were smashed and, in some cases, police cars were overturned. Ian Lafrenière, the head of police communications, had no explanation for why the march ended peacefully, but was happy with the result.
“Of course, we would have preferred if the march was legal to begin with. That would be the dream scenario,” he said.
The COBP collective has been organizing demonstrations coinciding with worldwide police antibrutality day — March 15 — since 1997. In recent years, police have started shutting down the demonstrations often before they start. Last year, police quickly declared it illegal because no itinerary was provided and surrounded roughly 300 protesters. Five were arrested and 288 were given tickets.
The group has also organized a second march to coincide with the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 22. Calling it “La St- Patrak” — a play on the French word for a policeman’s billy club, “matraque” — organizers invited participants to dress in green to blend in with revellers.
COPB said in a statement that they quickly organized the second parade to “denounce the fact that we no longer have the right to protest in Montreal.”
“People who want to watch or participate in the parade have nothing to fear from us, but should maybe beware of police officers known for being armed and dangerous toward the public, especially the marginalized and protesters,” the statement said.
At a news conference Thursday at Montreal City Hall, parade organizers and Mayor Denis Coderre did their best to reassure the public this year’s St. Patrick’s event will not be derailed by the potential for violence posed by the COPB.
“Let’s be clear, it’s a celebration and nobody, nobody, will prevent this magnificent celebration,” Coderre said.
People who want to watch or participate in the parade have nothing to fear from us, but should maybe beware of police officers.