International Student Movement

March 12th:
Montreal - Rally for Education and Healthcare

manif 12 mars from UNIVERSITV.TV on Vimeo.

Over 30,000 students, union members, women's groups, the raging grannies and the average pissed-off citizen with baby in tow from all over Quebec (Canada) marched through downtown Montreal to protest proposed austerity measures in the upcoming Quebec budget.

Police arrested 10 people before the march began. The six men and four women—aged 20 to 25—were detained and scheduled to appear in court on Monday to face charges of "conspiracy" (a.k.a a bullshit charge intended to scare off activists).

Several police officers on horseback entered the crowd on Rue de la Cathédrale, where people were preparing to march. The police then separated a group of people—dressed in black with their faces covered—from the crowd.
A few people in the crowd tossed snowballs at the police as they were leaving.

The march, organized by La Coalition opposée à la tarification et la privatization des services publics and Alliance Sociale, began at Place du Canada and was thick with people for over six city blocks.

Crowds started to chant in unison “we won’t pay for your crisis” and “the people united, will never be defeated”. Some held signs saying “L’éducation, c’est pour tout le monde”.
Tuition hikes, the $200 “health tax,” increased user fees and cuts to public services were some of the grievances voiced by protesters. Those measures are expected to appear in the 2011-2012 Quebec budget.

“We want to send out a clear message that hikes in tuition fees are not acceptable [and will not be accepted] by the Quebec society as a whole,” said Louis-Philippe Savoie, the president of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec.

Many students on Saturday expressed concerns that they and their colleagues will have to make the choice between going to school or avoiding large amounts of debt.

Free Education Montreal, who also mobilized for this rally, clearly saw their activities on that day in the global context and linked them with the Spring of Resistance.

sources: forgetthebox.net - thelinknewspaper.ca