Montreal, QC: Clashes at anti-capitalist May Day march

May Day in Montreal, after the mockery that was the march organized by the collaborationist major unions who led people to march in streets where they would not bother anyone to then end up in a secluded park, a protest worthy of its name was held downtown united under an anti-capitalist banner.

More than 1200 people, women, children, immigrants, workers, students, artists, took the main streets of downtown marching peacefully with a festive atmosphere in the direction of the Conservatives office of Westmount-Ville-Marie. The SSPVM very quickly tried to provoke the protesters with random arrests. A first attempt of arrest for no apparent reason was quickly pushed back with force by some brave freedom fighters.

Shortly after the Baby Bloc, composed of parents and children answering a call by La Pointe Libertaire, decided to seperate from the march since the police already clearly had demonstrated its violent intentions with the strong presence of riot-police (conveniently named by the fact that they start riots) and cavalry.

After 45 minutes of walking the protesters were greeted at the corner of René-Lévesque / Metcalfe by excessive police presence that was quick to charge into the demonstrators from various angles without any previous order to disperse and went ahead with brutal arrests showing once again the systematic social and racial profiling by the SSPVM and also showing us the fear of those from above in the face of the expression of freedom and resistance.

from http://sabotagemedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-day-anti-capitalist-protest-in.html

see also a communiqué by the CLAC (in french)

http://www.cmaq.net/fr/node/43882