HENRY GASS
The McGill Daily (McGill University)

MONTREAL (CUP) — The Quebec student movement’s general strike kicked off with a day of action on Feb. 24. Thousands of students gathered in Montreal’s Philips Square and marched through downtown protesting tuition increases set to begin in September.

The march at times numbered up to 15,000 students. CLASSE, the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante, organized the demonstration, and spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said he was “totally surprised” by the turnout.

“I think we were waiting for a few thousand people and we’ve got thousands and thousands of people,” said Nadeau-Dubois.

As of 2:45 p.m. the demonstration was trailed by between 17 and 20 police vehicles, including a van of riot police, an ambulance and a van labelled “Support logistique.”

At a downtown metro station, the demonstration splintered and about 1,500 demonstrators continued marching toward Jacques Cartier Bridge.

“The protest technically ended at Berri-UQAM station,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous. The student said that some demonstrators wanted to continue the march.

Many of those taking part in the splinter demonstration encountered riot police near Papineau metro station. Most demonstrators marched away when the riot police appeared.

“We just came to the conclusion that there was no point in getting pepper sprayed,” said the student.

According to the student, about 50 to 75 riot police surrounded the remaining demonstrators leading them into a public sqare next to the metro. Between 5 and 5:30 p.m. the number of demonstrators had “fizzled” to 500, the student added.

The police began to bang their shields despite the demonstration being peaceful, the student said.

However, some reports state that some demonstrators blocked access to the Jacques Cartier Bridge just before rush hour at around 4 p.m. After a standoff, police dispersed the blockade with shields and pepper spray.

Demonstrators “were asked to leave, and were then removed by the riot squad,” said Montreal police spokesperson Anie Lemieux.

According to Lemieux, the blockade ended at 5 p.m. Lemieux said there were no injuries and there was only one arrest for disturbing the peace, although it is unclear if the arrest was related to the blockade.

No demonstrators who remained when riot police intervened at Jacques Cartier Bridge were available to comment.

The Quebec government announced in March 2011 tuition hikes of $325 per year for five years starting this September. The increase will raise average Quebec tuition to $3,793 by 2017 but will still be among the lowest in Canada.

CLASSE’s Nadeau-Dubois said the demonstrations would only continue to grow.

“I think now this government has no choice: it has to listen to us, and it has to stop increasing tuition fees,” he said.

According to the CBC, a non-confidence motion on the proposed hikes will be debated in the Quebec National Assembly on Feb. 28. Nadeau-Dubois said Premier Jean Charest and the provincial government had yet to engage in any kind of negotiations.

“I think if [Charest] wants to ignore us he can do it now, but from next week on we’re going to be more and more thousands of people in the streets. Very soon there’s going to be a point from which he cannot stop us from protesting,” said Nadeau-Dubois. “He will have to negotiate with us; soon he won’t have the choice.”

Nadeau-Dubois said he hoped students from McGill and other non-participating schools would soon join the strike.

“I think with the protest today we have the proof that everyone in Quebec can mobilize,” he said.

National Assembly member Jean-Martin Aussant filed a petition on Feb. 17 to call on the government to back down on tuition hikes in response to pressure from a Quebec student lobby group that represents 65,000 students at three universities.

The petition is available for students to sign until May 16, and had collected 19,049 signatures at press time.

“At the point we are at now, I think a petition is not what is going to convince this government,” said Nadeau-Dubois, “but maybe it can help, and if it can help we’re going to sign it.”

With files from Erin Hudson