Protesters against capitalism gathered downtown on Sunday afternoon were dispersed by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) after they broke windows, painted graffiti and threw rocks.
Posted at 6:25 p.m.
Updated at 7:22 p.m.
“It degenerated very very quickly,” said Sergeant Manuel Couture, media relations officer for the Montreal Police Service. Around 5 p.m., a small crowd of a few hundred people gathered at Place du Canada in downtown Montreal.
The demonstration was presumably organized by the CLAC (Convergence of anti-capitalist struggles, Montreal), which announced it on its website. At the time of this writing, CLAC had not responded to a request for an interview with The Press.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
An anti-capitalist march began near Place du Canada in downtown Montreal late in the day.
The group set off around 5:45 p.m. About fifteen minutes later, smoke bombs were used. Quickly, the demonstration took an aggressive turn. Windows of shops were smashed, graffiti was painted on storefronts and luxury cars, and rocks were thrown at the police who surrounded the rally.
“A lot of people had ski masks in the crowd and as soon as they arrived [à l’intersection] René-Lévesque and Robert-Bourrassa, they started breaking shop windows,” says Manuel Couture.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, THE PRESS
After requests from the SPVM, “irritating agents” were used to disperse the crowd.
At 6:04 p.m., the SPVM specified on Twitter that a dispersal operation was underway in the Palais des Congrès sector. “People must leave the premises immediately,” tweeted the SPVM.
After requests from the SPVM, “irritating agents” were used to disperse the crowd, adds Manuel Couture. Around 6:15 p.m., the gathering broke up. SPVM officers continued to patrol the area.
Last year at this time, an anti-capitalist demonstration was also declared illegal.