Powerful Posters That Show What Montreal's Anti-Racism Protest Was All About (PHOTOS)
Thousands of individuals joined together in solidarity in downtown Montreal on Sunday, June 7 to denounce police brutality and racism. A similar protest took place in Montreal a week before. We've gathered photos of some of the posters that people held up high during this Sunday's demonstration.
This week's event was hosted by six local organizations: Nous sommes la ligue des noirs nouvelle génération, Black Rose Alliance, Fondation Busta John, EBF Élegance Beauté Fierté, Affirmation de la Femme Afro/ Afimasyon Fanm Afro, and EvoluJeunes 19-30 ans.
The organizers asked that all people participating "bring [their] masks, hand sanitizer, white shirts and [their] water bottle."
It began at 10 a.m., starting at Place Emilie-Gamelin. The protestors later took to the streets of Montreal to march in solidarity with all victims of police brutality.
This movement has also recently led an online petition to make body cameras mandatory for all SPVM officers to circulate, which has already gathered over 48,000 signatures.
And the posters seen at the protest speak loudly.
Here are some photos of the protest that were sent to MTL Blog with permission to use.
To start off, here's a glimpse of what the protest on June 7 looked like.
[rebelmouse-image 26884927 photo_credit="Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="480x640"] Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram
You can also imagine just how many thousands of people showed up to this one.
[rebelmouse-image 26884928 photo_credit="Courtesy of rowjayyy | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="750x562"] Courtesy of rowjayyy | Instagram
Approximately 50,000 individuals had shown up to the solidarity demonstration the week before, on Sunday, May 31.
The poster below combines imagery from the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin and NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling while the national anthem was sung at a preseason game in 2016.
[rebelmouse-image 26884929 photo_credit="Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="480x640"] Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram
"This is why we kneel," it read.
[rebelmouse-image 26884930 photo_credit="Courtesy of rowjayyy | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="750x562"] Courtesy of rowjayyy | Instagram
Another posted outlined the fact that human rights are what's being fought for during these protests.
[rebelmouse-image 26884931 photo_credit="Courtesy of laura_ath | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="744x992"] Courtesy of laura_ath | Instagram
READ ALSO:A Local Criminal Lawyer Speaks Out About The Realities Of Systemic Racism In Quebec
"Nothing can be changed until it is faced," one poster read.
[rebelmouse-image 26884932 photo_credit="Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="756x568"] Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram
In this same vein, one sign said "reprogram Quebec."
[rebelmouse-image 26884933 photo_credit="Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="480x640"] Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram
Alongside it, we see a poster that says "no justice, no peace," which protestors chanted throughout the demonstration.
[rebelmouse-image 26884934 photo_credit="Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="750x563"] Courtesy of alexmelki | Instagram
Another posted needed no words at all, the person drew George Floyd's face instead.
One poster took note of the fact that such injustices exist elsewhere than just in the United States.
[rebelmouse-image 26884935 photo_credit="Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="480x640"] Courtesy of ladolcekayla | Instagram
"It's not just the U.S.," it read.
And, since we all know that a photo speaks a thousand words, this shows just what the protest felt like. No posters were necessary for this one.
[rebelmouse-image 26884936 photo_credit="Courtesy of Alex Melki" expand=1 original_size="750x563"] Courtesy of Alex Melki
In it, you see someone holding up the Mohawk flag in front of a line of police officers — an example of true solidarity.
This article has been updated.
