An anti-police brutality march numbered around 350 last Saturday and remained largely peaceful, with no major confrontations between police and protesters.
The march departed from Place Émilie-Gamelin at around 8:45.p.m. and was declared illegal from the onset by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) because the route was not shared with the the police beforehand.
The demonstration was called, along with the annual March 15 protest against police brutality, after the recent announcement by the Police Ethics Commissioner that 46 per cent of all ethics complaints made during the student strike had been dismissed.
Led by a band of black-masked protestors, the crowd chanted anti-police slogans and carried signs with the acronym ACAB, which stands for “all cops are bastards.”
The protestors were flanked by riot police throughout the march and followed by mounted police. Fireworks were ignited throughout the demonstration.
The demonstration ended around 11:00 p.m. after protesters were driven onto sidewalks by police.
One protester was given a ticket for launching a flare at a police officer.