Mtlcounter-Info

In the spring of 2012, a massive student strike in opposition to a tuition hike, rocked the streets of the Montréal for over six months. Protests and militant street actions became part of the daily and nightly reality of this Canadian metropolis. Several times during this tumultuous spring, the numbers in the streets would reach over one hundred thousand. Police routinely clubbed students and their allies, and arrested them by the hundreds. Some were even banned from entering the city. But every time the cops struck, the student movement got bigger and angrier. ...

Around 6:30pm, suspects tried to arson the rental business of cars and trucks Jean Légaré, at 3035 rue Hochelaga (note: well-known to rent to police during demonstrations). The police confirm that at least one incendiary device was thrown against one of the windows of the building, which did not break however. ...

During the last week, several of us decided to self-organize and pass to the attack. Because capitalism is totalitarian. Because financial institutions, Desjardins banks included, are agents of this domination. Because they are responsible for the financial crisis, yet always come out on top. Because the condition of their existence is the negation of ours. Because the politicians, no matter the party, are also agents of this system. Because they accept the rules of a game in which we are first to lose. Because they blindly embrace the hegemonic ideology of zero deficit, of State austerity measures, of growth and profit at any price. ...

SOUTHWEST

This is the second of a two-part series; for a chronological account of the events analyzed herein, read While the Iron Is Hot: Student Strike & Social Revolt in Québec, Spring 2012 To fill out our chronology of the unrest in Québec, we posed the following questions to our Montréal correspondent, who answered them with the assistance of other participants in the Printemps érable . The interview concludes with an epilogue bringing the action up to the minute, when a convergence to block the resumption of the semester is about to begin. ...

From Crimethinc This is the first of a two part series; for an analysis of the events described herein, read While the Iron Is Hot: Anarchist Analysis of the Revolt in Québec In February 2012, as the Occupy movement tapered off, a strike broke out against austerity measures in the Québécois higher education system. Prevented from occupying buildings as it had in 2005 , the student movement shifted to a strategy of economic disruption: blockading businesses, interrupting conferences and tourist events, and spreading chaos in the streets. At its peak, the resulting unrest surpassed any protest movement in North America for a generation. ...

During the month of March, a poster was placed at the entrance to the phase A section of the highway 167 development project that will lead to the “Renard Project” and the Stornoway diamond mine. The poster read “Attention, mine anti-personnelle sur les prochains 10 km (Danger, explosive mines in the next 10 km)”. During the same night, the SOQUEM office in the city of Chibougamau was vandalized. The facade of the building was completely covered in paint (by an extinguisher), including all the cameras. A window was smashed with a hammer and graffiti written saying “Fuck le Plan Nord”. ...

By writing this text, we want to open lines of communication and critique regarding anarchist practices in the streets of Montreal, on a tactical level. We continue to see the same mistakes being made in demos and attribute this to how reflection on these matters rarely goes beyond the reach of affinity groups. We feel the limited amount of new information the police can gain from reading these general reflections is outweighed by the possibilities that can arise when we are better able to act as a collective force in the streets. It is our hope that others feel impelled to further these discussions within our anarchist networks, both in the form of anonymous texts and in the relationships they hold dear. Here are some reflections from three affinity groups, which will only be of value if we bring them to life in critical discussion and practical application. ...

In the spirit of March 15′s past, a cop car was set on fire on the evening of March 15th, at the Poste 33 police station in Parc-Ex, Montreal. This action was taken to complement the 17th annual demonstration against police (and their brutality) that took place earlier that day. We also send a message of support to Marco Camenisch in his struggles from inside prison in Switzerland.

During the night of February 26, inspired by the demonstrators that afternoon who attacked the police and refused to be dispersed, we used a fire extinguisher filled with paint to spray a CCTV camera and a large (A) on the walls of Cégep du Vieux Montréal. During the night of March 3, we broke a CCTV camera at Cégep Maisonneuve by dropping a slab of concrete onto it from the roof. The front entrance windows were also smashed with a hammer. ...