Last night we reported about a protest happening across several neighbourhoods in the southern part of Montreal, around Lionel-Groulx Station and on Sainte-Catherine downtown. The protest was part of a chain of international May Day manifestations that happened today to fight capitalism, class inequality, and labour rights. According to the SPVM, five arrests were made for "various offences and criminal acts," as well as several cases of mischief. Ce soir, dans le cadre du 1er mai, des marches sont prévues à Montréal. Cela pourrait causer certaines entraves à la circulation.#manifencours— Police Montréal (@SPVM) May 1, 2019 The SPVM anticipated the protest with the tweet above, then proceded to track the movement of the group as they moved through the city. A #manifencours is currently moving south on Atwater, passed Saint-Jacques.— Police Montréal (@SPVM) May 1, 2019 Many reporters were on the scene, taking video footage of the countless officers as they attempted to deal with the protestors turned rioters. Clarification: the @SPVM tells me they have not declared tonight’s protest illegal; only that some of the protesters were committing illegal acts @CTVMontreal #manifencours #1erMai pic.twitter.com/UevqBqYB85— Max Harrold (@MHarroldCTV) May 1, 2019 Riot police and firefighters out in full force as May Day protest heats up on Peel and Ste-Catherine @Global_Montreal pic.twitter.com/W3cUoLsxib— Anne Leclair (@TheAnneLeclair) May 1, 2019 It is not entirely clear if the group that was originally at Lionel-Groulx continued into the city, or if there were, in fact, two different groups out around the same time. Regardless, the damage that was done is undeniable. READ ALSO: The STM Is Raising The Price Of Metro And Bus Tickets caprikaren So I was at home on the couch, when I saw fireworks start going off outside my window. Protest moves down my street chanting, and overturning trash cans to impede the riot squad chasing them. 1/ #manifencours #mayday #polmtl #assnat https://t.co/PRWRIMM8iH— Ethan Cox (@EthanCoxMtl) May 2, 2019 The protest was largely under the name of anti-capitalism and as I mentioned above, it is not uncommon for these kinds of demonstrations to happen on the 1st of May. Other notable cities that saw large protests-turned-riots yesterday or last night include Paris, Seattle, and Berlin. Some more footage of the major riot squad response to the #MayDay #manifencours outside Lionel-Groulx. pic.twitter.com/pf7QcCMkj5— Ethan Cox (@EthanCoxMtl) May 1, 2019 Smoke bombs and firecrackers thrown by anti-capitalist protesters heading south on Atwater Ave @CTVMontreal #manifencours #1erMai pic.twitter.com/7PqM5A81WR— Max Harrold (@MHarroldCTV) May 1, 2019 READ ALSO: Here's How Much More An OPUS Card Will Cost After The STM Raises Ticket Prices There was a fair amount of damage left in the wake of this demonstration, which begs the question: what was the point? While I am always behind a protest, we have to flex our rights and demonstrations allow us to do just that - flex our freedom of speech and our freedom to peaceably assemble. So while these anti-capitalists were just flexing their rights, they crossed the line by getting violent and destructive... and I'm left wondering what they accomplished. Vandalism left in wake of anti-capitalist protesters march on St-Jacques St and Greene Ave @CTVMontreal #manifencours #1erMai pic.twitter.com/dCE5tFrsr3— Max Harrold (@MHarroldCTV) May 1, 2019 Burning garbage and broken glass on St-Antonine St and Walker Ave after anti-capitalists marched through the area @CTVMontreal #manifencours pic.twitter.com/yUjPVK9L6y— Max Harrold (@MHarroldCTV) May 1, 2019 The tweet below, sent out by the SPVM, indicates the arrests mentioned above. If there is any more information on the nature of these arrests and their outcome, we will update this space. Preliminary report for tonight's #manifencours :- 5 arrests for various offences and criminal acts.- Several mischief were committed.#SPVM— Police Montréal (@SPVM) May 2, 2019 #manifencours #assnat #polqc pic.twitter.com/DSWZJbe7H7— JacquesS (@JackSabo) May 2, 2019 That last one is just for fun... Did you experience any of this chaos last night? Source 1 | Source 2
