A Montreal Business Owner Said Damages From The Anti-Curfew Protest May Cost Up To $12,000

A number of businesses in Montreal's Old Port ended up being vandalized when some people chose to start rioting after the anti-curfew protest on April 11, including the store Rooney.

MTL Blog spoke with Alex Danino, owner of Rooney, about the vandalism the store faced that night, which left damages that could cost "at least" $8,000 to $12,000.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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What happened to your store the night of the anti-curfew protest on April 11?

The front window of Rooney ended up "getting smashed" by rioters around 9 p.m., Danino told MTL Blog.

Such led the store owner to ask: "Do [they] think going around smashing small businesses is going to make the premier of Quebec wake up the next day and say 'oh, they smashed the windows of a couple of stores in Old Montreal, I should probably just forget about this whole lockdown situation?' It's not exactly logical."

"I get it, you're annoyed. But to go around and smash windows of businesses that are already struggling, some barely hanging on, it seems kind of silly," he continued.

Danino confirmed the store will be able to continue to operate and the broken window has been boarded up until it can be fixed.

The owner told us no one was able to fully get inside the store, but could reach their arms in through the window. Danino said some clothes were stolen from a rack as well as everything in the window display.

How does the owner of Rooney, Alex Danino, feel about what happened?

Danino said this incident affects his business in two ways.

"In a positive way, people are being extremely supportive. That's really just such a good feeling, to know that there are people out there who feeling strongly about our business and want to see us come out of this in a good way."

The negative side is that Danino estimates the damages could cost up to $12,000.

"We're just struggling to continue and get through. We're all kind of just trying to get to the other side. This just adds a bit of unnecessary frustration," the owner of Rooney explained.

"It's a bummer to add to a situation that's already a massive bummer. It's not cool to see this kind of thing happen."

Now, Danino just hopes something like this doesn't happen to his store or any other business around him again — since another anti-curfew protest is planned for April 12, in the same place as the last one.