A few hundred demonstrators took to the streets of Montreal on Friday afternoon to demonstrate against COP15, calling the UN conference “greenwashing”. Entitled “Large demonstration: against COP15, for biodiversity”, the event notably brought together representatives of around twenty post-secondary student associations on strike.
“We can’t get enough of your green capitalism and your greenwashing,” said activist Xan Choquet, around 3:30 p.m., in Saint-Louis Square, where the demonstrators gathered before marching. Mme Choquette is involved in the Bloquons la COP 15 group, which co-organized the event, alongside student associations.
At the time these lines were written, the demonstration was still taking place in the streets of Plateau Mont-Royal and downtown Montreal, in a calm environment. The demonstrators are also heading towards the Palais des Congrès, where the UN Conference on Biodiversity is taking place.
A strong police presence framed the march. The Montreal Police Service (SPVM) notably dispatched riot police buses, which followed the demonstrators.
A few streets, including Saint-Denis, Rachel, Saint-Hubert and Sherbrooke, were temporarily blocked.
Further details will follow.
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