Quebec | Protesters take René-Lévesque

(Quebec) Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday, completely blocking René-Lévesque Boulevard for nearly a kilometer, from De Salaberry Avenue to Honoré-Mercier. Supporters of the “freedom” convoy are demanding an end to sanitary measures, and dozens of trucks have started arriving from all over the province.

Gabriel Beland
The Press

Fanny Levesque
The Press

Thousands of demonstrators marched on René-Lévesque Boulevard around 3 p.m., making road traffic impossible. Police officers from the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) erected cones at De Salaberry Avenue, near Cartier, to allow pedestrian traffic. Until now, the police have always allowed a certain fluidity of road traffic.

The demonstrators, including several families, walk calmly to the incessant sound of horns between the two avenues, the distance of which is estimated at 800 meters. “No to segregation” or even “90% vaccinated, 110% disgusted”, could we read on the placards of the demonstrators.

“I would like to salute the pseudo-minority. We meet a lot of people with children. I see distress in your eyes. It’s not true that you are the minority,” said co-organizer Bernard Gauthier in a speech to the crowd.

“Above all, I would like not to thank the central unions for having abandoned us,” mocked the unionist, referring to the refusal of the FTQ-Construction to finance the convoy.

The convoy drew protesters from all walks of life, including families.

“I came to denounce the people who humiliate, who despise and stigmatize the non-vaccinated in the public square. We are talking about human beings, full-fledged Quebecers, ”denounced Bruno Cossette, met in the shadow of parliament.

This veteran of Afghanistan, double vaccinated, came from Mauricie to ask for an end to the health emergency in Quebec.

“It’s a cry from the heart. I ask for the end of the state of health emergency and that we restore democracy in this building, he explained to The Press. Freedom of expression in Quebec for 18 months has been a ten-lane highway that only goes one way. »

René-Lévesque stuck in traffic

A few trucks had already arrived on Thursday and Friday. But on Saturday, they began to arrive in large numbers from Beauce, eastern Quebec and even Montérégie.

Quebec police have so far only allowed trucks to stop along René-Lévesque Boulevard. Several demonstrators in cars or vans were therefore forced to drive around in their vehicles. But since the middle of the afternoon, dozens of cars have been immobilized on René-Lévesque, behind or next to heavy goods vehicles.

The mayor of Quebec did not want to say if these trucks will be able to stay for the night, or after Sunday.

“Right now, they are there for the demonstration. Then they will have to move. The police tactics will be implemented, ”explained the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, on Saturday.

The Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) confirms for its part that the dialogue continues with the organizers of the demonstration. “We are not at the stage of deciding when the trucks will have to leave [les lieux]we are constantly assessing the situation, which is changing from hour to hour, ”said SPVQ spokesperson David Pelletier.

However, the mayor insists that “so far it’s been done peacefully”. “People are doing it well, peacefully, there are families, children. As long as it goes like this, there is no problem. »

The SPVQ points out that a statement of offense was given to a demonstrator on Saturday for the use of “a pyrotechnic piece in a public place”. The Sûreté du Québec is also on the ground. Other police forces also offer assistance to the Quebec police.

Claude Pomerleau, from Beauce, held up a sign bearing the image of Éric Duhaime’s Conservative Party of Quebec.

“I am 56 years old, I have voted twice in my life. I canceled my votes all the time. The last time I voted for the CAQ but here I am a “cacu” as one could say, “launched the man, who describes himself as a cuckold of the ballot box.

“We put Legault out and we remove all the completely useless laws made for nothing, especially not for a flu that has everyone screwed up for two years,” he adds.

Counter-demonstrators at the rendezvous

A handful of counter-demonstrators had agreed to meet. “A horn for vaccination,” they shouted.

“Yes, it is possible to be angry, to be tired, but it is unrealistic to think that we can put an end to sanitary measures immediately. It’s completely wacky. These claims make no sense, ”said Jean-Sébastien Ménard, who was there with four other counter-demonstrators.

“The population of Quebec has been united for two years, fighting against a virus. We are in solidarity with the truckers who work and who allow us to maintain a comfortable life. We are in solidarity with the hospital staff who are struggling. They are the ones who are at the front, ”added the man who created the Facebook page Observatory of conspiratorial delirium in Quebec.