A Live Feed Shows A Huge Crowd Marching Through Montreal To Protest Quebec Health Measures

Chris Sky, Maxime Bernier and Dan Pilon are in attendance.
A Live Feed Shows A Huge Crowd Marching Through Montreal To Protest Quebec Health Measures
Québec debout - 1er mai 2021 | Facebook
Senior Writer

If you're around the Olympic Stadium on Saturday — or you simply log into Facebook and watch the live feed — you'll see a huge crowd marching through the streets of Montreal in protest to express, as the Facebook event page puts it, "disagreement with health measures in Quebec." 

The march, dubbed "Québec Debout," is one of six protests happening "for freedom" across Quebec on May 1. 

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Similar rallies are also planned across Canada for May 1.

The Montreal protesters, led by Action Coordination and Mobilisation Montréal, met at the intersection of rue Davidson and rue Sherbrooke around noon.

The Facebook event page had 13,000 people marked as "going" — with even more marked as "interested."  

Live videos posted to the "Québec debout - 1er mai 2021" Facebook page show Maxime Bernier, known for founding the People's Party of Canada, self-described "freethinking columnist" Daniel Pilon, and well-known anti-masker Chris Sky in attendance.

The Montreal route starts on rue Sherbrooke (at the corner of boulevard Pie IX), goes east then left on boulevard Viau, left on boulevard Rosemont, left on avenue Bourbonnière, and ends back on rue Sherbrooke. Watch out for heavy traffic. 

What do these protesters want?

According to a press release, the protesters want the following:

  • Protect Our Children
  • Support For the Elders
  • Save Small / Medium Businesses
  • Defend Our Rights and Freedoms
  • A Public and Transparent Debate
  • Peace, Justice and Solidarity
  • Democracy & Accountability
  • Informed Consent

MTL Blog's Alex Melki, who reported live from the field, said the protesters were anti-curfew and anti-vaccination passports, among other concerns.  

*This article has been updated as events unfold

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  • Ilana Belfer
  • Ilana Belfer

    Editor

    Ilana Belfer (she/her) was an editor for MTL Blog. She's obsessed with great storytelling in all its forms having worked in print, radio, television, theatre, and digital media over the past decade. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, her words have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Kit, VICE, Salon, Foodism TO & more — covering everything from cam girls to COVID-19. Ilana can usually be found with her dog André, tracking down Montreal’s prettiest ruelles vertes and tastiest treats.

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