Montreal Police defend F1 'preventative arrests' - Montreal. Montreal police are defending a series of "preventive arrests" over the weekend after student groups and civil rights activists accused the force of political profiling.
At least 130 people were arrested over the Grand Prix race weekend, during protests organized to coincide with the high-profile tourist event. Some 34 people were detained on Sunday outside the F1 track site and dozens more were searched on the premises before being ordered to leave the island. Montreal raids target suspects in metro mischief, office vandalism. Montreal police arrested five people, including the daughter of an elected politician, after a round of raids targeted suspects wanted in connection with disruptive spring protests that paralyzed public transit service and vandalized a minister's office.
Police searched eight homes Thursday morning, in search of 11 people they suspect are connected to smoke bombs set off underground last month, and vandalism at former education minister Line Beauchamp's office. Montreal protest resonates across Canada and in U.S. - Montreal. To the boom of bass drums and the airy strains of violins, street-choking crowds of people marched through Montreal on Wednesday night in the latest of a months-long series of protests over Quebec's student crisis and government measures to deal with it.
The several concurrent demonstrations in Montreal coincided with solidarity protests in dozens of cities around the world, including Toronto, New York, Chicago, St. John's and Whitehorse. Protesters in Montreal bang wooden spoons on pots and pans in one of the 'casserole' gatherings that have become a nightly occurrence. (CBC) The Montreal rallies generated the usual pot-and-pan cacophony that has become the protest movement's trademark, but also festive percussion ensembles and a musical trio of accordion, flute and snare drum.
The crowds included students, families, young children and retirees, and they marched with their bikes, clanging their cookware, carrying placards or chanting slogans. Quebec MNA Amir Khadir arrested at protest - Montreal. A Quebec politician was arrested Tuesday night during a protest over the province's student crisis and its contentious Bill 78.
Amir Khadir, the National Assembly member for the Montreal riding of Mercier, was handcuffed and placed on a bus with other detainees after police surrounded a group of demonstrators in Quebec City's Petit Champlain neighbourhood. He was given a $494 ticket for violating Quebec's Highway Safety Code and was released that night along with his fellow arrestees, Khadir's spokesperson Christian Dubois said. Amir Khadir was arrested, handcuffed and held on a transit bus with about 50 other detainees after police kettled the protest. (Marc-Antoine Ruest/Radio-Canada) Dubois said Khadir was on his way home from work at the National Assembly when he saw a "casserole" protest — one of the regular demonstrations against Bill 78 in which people bang pots and pans — and decided to join. "The protest was declared illegal. There were about 100 demonstrators in all, Dubois said. Quebec student leader questioned by police - Montreal. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesman for hardline student association CLASSE, said he was questioned by the Sûreté du Québec on April 27.
According to Nadeau-Dubois, what first began as questioning on alleged death threats he had received soon turned into an interview about his activity with CLASSE. Nadeau-Dubois told CBC News on Monday that the SQ asked him questions about his family, his roommate, his friends and CLASSE. "My general feeling was that this was a warning from the SQ," he said. Montreal's Grand Prix cancels opening day over protest threats - Montreal. Threats of student protests have forced organizers of the Canadian Grand Prix to cancel the free opening day of the event.
Formula One fans were to have had access to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve at the "Open House" event Thursday. "Considering the various disruption threats made public recently, the free admission and the naturally openness character of the ‘Open Doors’ day, revealed some risks that we could not neglect. Under these circumstances, canceling the ‘Open Doors’ day was the only action we could take. Unfortunately, for the fans and our spectators, it was impossible to escape from such responsibility. " Instead the event was scrapped due to security concerns. "We did receive some direct threat on the event," said François Dumontier, president of the Canadian Grand Prix. He says the organization has already lost some money due to security concerns. "Our ticket sales are down over the last month or so. Student leaders, unions slam proposed Quebec law - Politics. Quebec's legislature has voted in favour of an emergency law aimed at cooling tensions in the 14-week tuition hike crisis.
After debating the special legislation overnight Thursday, members of the national assembly (MNAs) voted 68-48. The legislation calls for heavy fines for students and their federations, and strict regulations governing demonstrations, following months of social tension and protests that made international news. Critics lined up to assail the law as an affront to civil rights, an overreaction, or ill-considered improvisation. 'It's the worst law that I've ever seen, except for the War Measures Act.'—Lucie Lemonde, UQÀM law professor. Player. Talks over student strike 'respectful' in tone - Montreal. Student associations and officials with the Charest government continued their discussions for a second day on Tuesday, seeking an end to a 10-week-old student strike over proposed university tuition fee hikes.
Education Minister Line Beauchamp has revealed little about the content of those talks, except to say that they are continuing in a positive atmosphere and with "a respectful tone. " Representatives of the four student groups at the table have also been discreet about just what is under discussion. Parti Québécois opposition leader Pauline Marois demanded to know just what the government is putting on the table to try to bring an end to the student protests, which have at times turned violent in recent weeks. Marois asked if the planned tuition hikes might be put on hold or perhaps spread out over a longer period of time. "The issue of the future of our universities is really at the heart of all this. Massive student tuition march paralyzes Montreal - Montreal. Tens of thousands of Quebec students descended on downtown Montreal Thursday afternoon for the latest in a series of escalating protests against proposed tuition hikes.
An imposing crowd, considerably larger than the one at Montreal's famous 1995 pre-referendum rally, formed a kilometres-long sea of opposition to Quebec's tuition increases, scheduled to take effect later this year. In a spring laden with student demonstrations against the Quebec government, this was easily the largest. The parade of protest was so long that its front end would be a full neighbourhood – or even two – away from the tail end. An organizing group boasted that the protest spanned 50 city blocks. There were no violent incidents involving the chanting, placard-waving throng. There were, however, reports of some protesters carrying sticks, that police confiscated. And there was a threat from a major protest group: Police have also ramped up tactics and have used chemical sprays against the demonstrators. Quebec students offered 6-month tuition freeze - Montreal. Quebec's education minister said she has reached an "agreement in principle" to potentially end the province's student strike launched three months ago to fight planned increases in tuition fees.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Line Beauchamp said the student groups still have to present the deal to their members. They are expected to vote on the deal in the next few days. La ministre Line Beauchamp dément tout lien avec Domenico Arcuri. La ministre de l'Éducation et vice-première ministre du gouvernement Charest, Line Beauchamp La ministre de l'Éducation et vice-première ministre du gouvernement Charest, Line Beauchamp, a soutenu à l'Assemblée nationale, mercredi matin, qu'elle ne connaît pas un membre présumé du crime organisé montréalais avec qui elle a déjeuné en 2009, lors d'une activité de financement du PLQ.
Selon le journal La Presse, Domenico Arcuri, un membre présumé de la mafia identifié lors de l'opération Colisée de la GRC, en 2006, était présent, le 6 avril 2009, lors d'un petit-déjeuner de financement organisé par des membres de la firme de génie-conseil Genivar au restaurant Piccolo Mondo, à Laval. Lors de ce déjeuner auquel prenaient part une quinzaine de personnes avec la ministre, qui détenait le portefeuille de l'Environnement à l'époque, les convives auraient versé 61 500 $ au Parti libéral.
Le premier ministre Jean Charest n'est pas intervenu dans ce débat. Arrestation de Riadh Ben Aïssa : une lettre anonyme embête SNC-Lavalin. Quebec minister open to talks with striking students - Montreal. Quebec Education Minister Line Beauchamp says she's ready to discuss university governance with student groups protesting against planned tuition hikes. But planned tuition increases – scheduled to take effect in September 2012 – are not on the table, Beauchamp said at a news conference in Montreal on Sunday afternoon. University student group FEUQ asked the province to allow the creation of an independent committee to oversee university spending.
Quebec students call for new tuition talks - Montreal. Quebec's legislature has gathered for a late-night debate on emergency education legislation Thursday night, as student protests were held in five of the province's biggest cities. The special law, known as Bill 78, was crafted by the Liberal government to defuse the turbulent student tuition crisis. The proposed law lays out strict regulations governing student protests and contains provisions for stiff fines.
Fines range from $7,000 to $35,000 for a student leader and between $25,000 and $125,000 for unions or student federations if someone is prevented from entering an educational institution. Bill 78 also lays out strict regulations governing student protests. Any group of 10 persons or more to give at least eight hours notice to police for any demonstration. The overnight debate at Quebec's legislature is expected to lead to a vote on the legislation on Friday.
Quebec emergency law goes 'very far', ex-judge Gomery says - Politics. A retired Quebec Superior Court judge is weighing in on a controversial emergency law passed by the Jean Charest government on Friday, saying the new Quebec law goes "very far. " Masked student protesters storm Montreal classrooms - Montreal. Administrators at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQÀM) are suspending classes in the undergraduate law program, after an attempt to resume classes Wednesday morning ended in chaos. Hundreds of protesters, many of them masked, stormed the downtown university's buildings around 9:30 a.m. ET, just as undergraduate law students with a court injunction were set to resume their courses. The mayhem ended with classes being cancelled for the day. Administrators later decided to suspend classes in the BA law program until Friday, inclusively, "out of prevention and security" concerns, said UQÀM media relations director Jenny Desrochers.
The suspension affects about 50 scheduled lectures and 600 students. Classroom confrontations Carrying a list of scheduled classes, protesters marched through UQÀM pavilions blowing whistles and banging on drums as they searched for students gathered in lecture halls. A masked protester would yell out marching orders for the next target, such as: "Pavilion M! " Quebec adopts emergency law to end tuition crisis - Montreal.