The voices of the people who wished to remain anonymous in this film
have been overdubbed by those of voice actors
Submedia.tv Presents
A Poutinesurrection Tactical Film
Montreal, September 2012
Walking through this city gives you no indication that just a few months ago this was happening
And this...
A student strike in opposition to a tuition hike
rocked the streets of the city 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
There were rumors that the police budget was going bust
and that many cops were taking leave due to the intensity of the situation
It's very hard for them to be there many hours
and you always have to keep focus and make sure that you are professional
The Premier of Québec enacted a draconian anti-protest law
that would impose massive fines to individuals and student unions
The Mayor of Montreal pled with citizens to intervene
and asked the students to abandon the streets and go back to school
But every day people joined the strikers in the streets and the pressure would not cease
then an election was called
the sovereigntist "Parti Québécois" won
with the promise of freezing the tuition increase and scrapping the anti-protest law
For many within the student movement this was the victory that they were aiming for
and one that was obtained through the peaceful mobilization of thousands
but for anarchists this was no triumph
They're trying to remove the pressure on the government at the moment
and trying to lower the protest
but the thing is
that capitalism is still ruin
snd there's still a fucked up capitalist society that we need to abolish
This is a story about how the arrogance of a government underestimated
a dedicated group of students who through long term organizing
laid the foundation for some of the largest mass demonstrations in Canada's history
but it is also the story of how crews of determined anarchists
educated a new generation of students in the importance of owning the streets
Street Politics 101
In Québec, universities and junior colleges
have federations that represent students
when dealing with school administration or the government
of the three major federations
the Asse stands out for its mandate
to achieve free education for all
and for its affinity to radical politics
specifically something called Syndicalisme de Combat
or Combative Syndicalism
Combative Syndicalism is premised on establishing a power struggle
with the state or boss through means of direct action
rather than negotiation or conciliation
in 2010 the Liberal Premier of Québec, Jean Charest
announced he would increase tuition by 325 dollars a year starting in 2012
this prompted the three major federations to issue a strike warning
but also led to the Asse's opening up it's membership to any students
who wanted to strike under its directive of free education
this new incarnation of the ASSE became known as CLASSE
(CLASSE Meeting) the main difference between the federation and CLASSE
is that CLASSE actually go on strike for free education
(Former Member of Assé) so they don't want the increase of 75%
because we want free education. Meanwhile the Federation are going to advocate for
(Federation of Québécois College Students Rally) freezing the tuition fees
the members inside the Federation were pushing the Federation
to be closer to CLASSE or at least not to betray it
Lesson 1: Occupy
Charest ignored the ultimatum
and the strike officially kicked off in February of 2012
Students and their supporters
started pinning red squares to their clothes
this was a symbol used in previous student strikes
and it became a simple act for anyone to show solidarity with the students
immediately following the strike vote
at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal
students attempted to occupy the building
We were like thousands and thousands of people inside of the Cégep
a general assembly and discussion about the occupation
(Student at Cégep du Vieux Montréal) we start to make the occupation maybe like around
six or seven o'clock
and we keep the occupation until 4:00 AM
(Student at Université du À Québec Montréal)
for the students on the other side it was
really important to be able to seize the space
to occupy the space because it's a
central infrastructure for the strike
and it's important to be able to have a space where you can meet up
and cook food and sleep
so it was the first time that the media
have a look at the strike
Dozens of people are facing charges after an overnight protest
they barricaded themselves inside Cégep du Vieux Montréal
and then police say some went on a vandalism rampage
security cameras were blocked and vandalized
and the building was barricaded
the police reaction was forceful and blunt
flash bang grenades were pitched
and students were beat with batons
(News Headline: Violent Protest) (Student) They all charge us with their baton and they hit us
the vicious way in which the cops handled the occupation
gave the students a glimpse of the brutality to come
but the occupation also set the tone for the next six months
that the strike would be a militant one
and that if the universities and the cops would not allow the students
to take over school buildings
the students would take over the streets
Lesson 2: Blockade
A lot of people
talk about the strike as a demonstration strike
in French it's grève de manif or
something that happened in the street
rather than in occupations
or in some kind of
production of critical theories or whatever
there was a lot of mobilization actions every day
demonstration every day and blockades
and economic disruptions
on March 7th students blockaded the Québec Lottery building
which houses the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Québec Universities
by this time you can see students wearing masks to cover their faces
and the masses seem less intimidated by police batons
The police response was very harsh
and a grenade exploded in the face
(Anarchist Organizer) of one of the student protestors there
and that marked the imagination of a lot of people
And it was like one of the first times for many, many people
that they see how far it can go
with the repression and all the result of the demonstration and stuff
so it was really a shock
the student was Francis Grenier
and he lost vision in his left eye permanently
Night of March 7th
that night the anger in the streets was palpable
and the students were calling for revenge
the people were more angry than before
and also the other people like the parents
(Professor of College of Maisonneuve) the old people and the younger
they too came to support more the students
and they saw what was the brutality from police
and I think the students and other social society
they mobilized harder after this situation
the timing of this unfortunate event couldn't have been worse for the Montreal Police
That was maybe ten days before the March 15th demo
the International Day Against Police Brutality demo
it really created a context where other
pieces of the puzzle were there to make something happen
anarchists have been organizing this demonstration for the past 16 years
but this is the first time a massive influx of students took part
this is partly due to the membership of the CLASSE voting to endorse the rally
this was also the first time during the student strike
that other issues were highlighted, not just the tuition increase
Maybe for the first time for a lot of people
they realized that police brutality is not an abstract concept
it's not just something that we raise every March 15th to make a ruckus or make trouble
it's a constant factor that people have to deal with in their lives
mostly vulnerable people, marginalized people have to deal with
police brutality and police repression
the Mayor pled with students not to join the anarchists on this day
but the event was heavily promoted
and a publication entitled "Blockade, Occupy, Strike Back" was widely distributed
the zine was a practical guide for militant actions and occupations
which included tips on masking up, building barricades and security
From the beginning of the strike
(Anarchist / University Student) we saw the use of masks
go from being an isolated practice
to something that became normal for hundreds of people to do
which helps to open the space for conflictuality
because people feel they can fight back and get away with it
this explosion in the use of masks wasn't magical
it took anarchists consistently masking up
and explaining why they mask up in flyers and conversations
Fuck the Police!!!
It was quite impressive - these images of rioting
that came right after this provocation by the police
it kind of gave a new tone to the student strike
it was important to show that we won't let the police beat us
and just do what they want with us
and that we'll stand together and we'll fight back
Lesson 3: Attack!
a week later one of the the largest mass demonstrations in the history of Québec took place
over 200,000 people filled the streets of the city
but even this impressive turnout did not have the desired effect
So this was a turning point for many people inside the student movement
(Former member of Assé) and outside of like, well,
if we want the government to back off we'll need more
this "more" came in the form of Manif - Actions or Demo-Actions
a campaign of economic disruption endorsed by CLASSE
They were typically happening a lot all over the place
(Anarchist Organizer) the actual content of the plan
for a manif action would often be kept secret
there would be a flyer handed out saying, usually something funny,
there would be like you know a funny image, and manif action, and the time and the place
and people would show up, not necessarily all knowing what was going to happen
but then they would proceed to the target and begin linking arms and forming human blockades
or other kinds of blockades or barricades around a skyscraper
or going onto a bridge or what have you
the unpredictable and relentless application of this tactic overwhelmed the police
and frustrated the Mayor and the Premier
the next three weeks saw dozens of autonomous actions
from blockades of bridges and ports
to destruction of corporate property
to attacks on police infrastructure
factions within CLASSE encouraged students to mask up and remain anonymous
by this point it was clear that the fear threshold had been crossed
and that the student movement owned the streets of Montreal
any doubts that this statement was true were shattered on April 20th, at the Plan Nord job fair
Lesson 4: Beat Back
The students were not afraid to stand their ground
and were not afraid to fight back and they knew that they were legitimate
they knew they were right
(Anarchist Organizer) they knew they were legitimate and they knew that
the cops fighting them and pepper spraying them and beating them up
were not legitimate so they eventually just almost right away lost all fear
and that was amazing to see
I was very inspired
It's ok to have fear
You're putting your life in danger
Student at Université du À Québec Montréal) but people were really more alert
and they were really more aware of the police tactic and repressive patterns
We want to live in a society where we respect each other
We respect our laws and we respect democracy
As Premier of Québec I believe in our social programs
I believe in our healthcare system
I believe in our education system
Because I believe in all of this I also know we need an economy able to support
our healthcare system, our education system
That's why the Plan Nord as a wealth creation project
is so important for the future of our social programs
Plan Nord was some kind of turning point in the strike too
because there were people organizing against the Plan Nord fair
and the Plan Nord in general
since months or years
It was a job fair. So people were invited to bring their CV's
and try to find employers
so it was a big thing around that
and grafted on top of that Charest and the liberals did this big PR event
for the business community in Montreal actually
to promote their Plan Nord
Plan Nord is a scheme devised by the Liberal government of Québec
to displace indigenous people in the north of the province
and open up their land for mining, logging, and hydro electric projects
anarchists have been concerned about Plan Nord for some time
but the strike provided a much needed springboard
to spotlight this blueprint of ecological destruction
the fact that the Premier would be in attendance, caught the eye of the student movement
and CLASSE planned a march for that day, but so did anarchists and indigenous folks
the Classe demo was large and was able to breach the security at the convention center
from inside the job fair, the Premier poked fun at the demonstrators
(Former Premier of Québec)
The Plan Nord job fair is already so popular people are coming from everywhere to get in
the Plan Nord represents a chance for job seekers
and so to those who knocked on our door this morning
we could offer them a job in the North, as far North as possible
And during this time
(Student at Cégep du Vieux Montréal) that news came to the street
like people start to say, "Oh, he's laughing about us."
so over the course of the next three, four hours in the street around the Palais de Congrés
you know, engage in almost urban guerrilla, people fighting back
and quite a few times the cops had to retreat
What was interesting about that day is that there were simply not enough police
to be able to repel the demonstrators
Fuck! Holy shit
Just in general the people in the streets
Were like really beautiful
It was like barricade
Everyone was helping each other
A lot of people thought
It was easy to attack the police
When you were in a lot numbers and
But it was also fun
I throw this shit in your face when I see you
'Cause I got something to say
I was born free, born free
Born free, born free
Even though the focus of the student
Was to embarrassed the premier at the plan nord job fair
The issues that indigenous people and anarchists were highlighting
Could not be ignore by the movement
Lesson 5 : use the cover of night
On april 22
The monthly student march
Join the earth day rally
And broke the attendance record of the previous month
By now the sense of this movement
Was not just protesting a tuition hike
Was unambiguous
And it was clear
That this had evolve
Into a anti capital revolt
From this students strike
From the students demands
Became more of a social crisis
Where all this issues came to feed each other
And grab each other
And all this issue are interlock and interdependent
A wave of night demonstrations followed
Where sometimes thousand will turn out
Further frustrating the cops
For a couple of months
Easily
Every day was center around the students strikes
And people are talking about
How we are gonna organize for the night demo
Are we gonna go to the manifestation in the morning
Do we need to go to the palais de justice( palace of justice ) because our friends are in jails
Our whole life were center around the strike see
Around this time anarchist
Were aggressively promoting
the upcoming may day action
anti capuse may day has been more
and more visible
and more and more militant over the years
there was an anarchist pollot
that was accordingly listening to the fact
that people should come and dress in black
and be prepare for a confrontation
ok why are you laughing
I never seen a black black like this
We were like three to four hundred people
Dress in black As a black black
This is the biggest black bock I ever seen in montreal
That’s for sure
This has to expect a lot during the students strike
That’s something that is necessary
If you want to fight
See
While this nightly protest
And rockets protest
continued to embarrassed the government of jean charest
they garden international media attention
and there is no sign of them slowing down any time
peter
all right dane thanks very much
I think we people would come to the conclusion that now is the time to bring this to an end and to return to classes
Lesson 6 : maintain pressure
By now anarchist have successful normalize the use of mills and street tactics
Like black block
This will proof useful just a few days later in Victoriaville
A town shield of about 2 hours drive from Montreal
Where charest and the liberal party will have their annual meeting
This liberal congress was planned to be in Montreal
But because the tension was so high in montreal
The liberal congress was change to Victoriaville
Bus load of students and their supporters travel to the area
With the clear intension of confronting the liberals
This time the security will be provided by the provincial police
Also knows as the SQ
The SQ are actually
they dress like soviet soldier
they dress in like army green fatigues when they are riot
they have been equipped since the 1970s
sort of with the idea that maybe someday they will be become the arm forces of an independent quebec
and they have a lot of
sort of a more paramilitary field than a lot of other cops
the sq cop were protecting the hotel with a shitty fence
the fence was quickly bridge and a pinch battle ensued
I got scared
I got very scared because I thought the differences its not that big between a rubber bullet and a real gun bullet
The amount of tear gas that was put into the air was strikingly
Lots of it actually managed to get into the hotel and cause people in the convention to cry
In this parking lot it was full of rocks
Rocks everywhere
And people were disperse
Taking rocks
Trying to throw rocks
But it was not consistence
But there were infinite rocks and the cops were shotting rubber bullets into the crowd
The people in the crowd were throwing rocks back at the cops
Holy shit scream continues
Ohh shit screams continues
Lesson 7: generalize revolt
A few days later negotiations between the government and student federations broke down once again
Desperate to regain control of the city
Charest in acted an authoritarian legislation design to kill the strike
The special law with outlaw demonstrations from taking place
Within a certain distance of a university
It will also impose severe fines on individual in groups
Who organize such demonstrations
It also required organizers to seek approval for demonstrations of fifty or more people
So people just in a few days felt like their right could just be taken like this
So many many many people who will maybe just have watch the strike on the news everyday
All this people were just like so we don’t have the right to complain
We cant even refuse
The law went into effect on may 18
The same weekend of the montreal anarchist book fair
One of the largest gathering of anarchist in north America
On the evening of may 18 and for the 25th consecutive night on a row
Thousand of rebellion youth invades the street of the city in defiance of the special law
The law that was suppose to calm the students insurrection had the opposite effect
It also made the strike evolve from a student centric movement to one that involve society at large
Two days after you have people banging their pots at their doors
Like Every corners of the streets at eight pm
It starting like this everyday
And Third day eventually
People starter to take the streets
Some police officers tried to stop the people but they couldn’t
And you couldn’t have riot police everywhere in the city
Small groups of like a few hundred people here
Few hundred people there
And they all starter to march
And then you could see people running down their stairs
With their pots in their hands
Running after the demo
And having demo bigger and bigger
The casseroles demonstrations gave away to neighborhoods assemblies. Some of which were explicitly anti capitalist
But even while this peaceful demonstrations brought the strike to the entire city
The night demonstrations continued
may 22
so around four hundred thousand people in the monthly anniversary demonstration
And indication of the popular support
The student enjoyed
I think a lot of people had clued in
To the largest shoes
And to the fact that passing this law was a way to quell solidarity
But in fact now what happen it’s the opposite
Lesson 8 : attack their symbols
In june the anti capitalist group CLAC
Call for an escalation of the social disruption
The grand prix is the formula one circus that comes back every year to montreal
It’s a capitalist circus
It’s a misogynistic circus
There was a call
Basically just a call by Convergence des lutes anticapitalistes
Convergence of anticapitalist struggles in montreal
To disrupt the grand pix
Horizontal decentralize basis
Students and their supporters accepted the call from clac
And the threat of interference put a dam in the grand pix tickets sales
Thousands many of them naked
March on the eve of disgracing event
While others confronted security and police
Disrupting the pre race street parties
Lesson 9 : never trust politicians
A few weeks later and under tremendous pressure
Charest call for an election
This announcement took a considerable toll on the strike
As the more moderate element within the student movement
Saw this as their chance to elect a candidate who would freeze the tuition
In august many of the student associations voted to end the strike and go back to school
This was followed by the electoral victory of Pauline Marois
From the Parti Quebecois
A politician of frequently supported the red square
Took part in casseroles demos
And promise to kill the tuition increase
And end the repression of the student movement
However in the spring of 2013
The newly elected government announced that it will increase tuition by 3% every year
Anger at this betrayal brought students back to the streets
Only to be repress more viciously than the previous year
But many students had not given out on the struggle for free education
And continued to support dsa
For some anarchist though the furtherance of their street politics was a victory in itself
And another steps toward building a movement that can destroy the state and abolish capitalism
this film could have not been made without the efforts of the many videographers and uploaders that documented this social revolt
When they cut social programs
Requiring the poor to work more
So that the rich can pay less taxes
We crowd together in the offices of the lotto
We chant nice slogans, were nice and cute
Yet we remain remain remain pacifist !
When they kindly ask us to leave
The rent a cops hit us a bit so
That the situation doesnt get worse
They whisper an eviction notice
Softly in our ear
The police respond to the call
To do their job with passion
Yet we remain remain remain pacifist !
When the riot cops arrive
To protect us from evil
They bang their shields
They are not really down with our slogans
And we get down on our knees
The media will take pictures
Then we make peace signs
We’ re rebels and we’re not nice
Yet we remain remain remain pacifist !
Since we made peace signs
They give us pepper spray
We have fun and we’re festive
Between citizen and citizen
And they beat up activists
They fuck them up till they bleed
They arbitrarily arrest
To spend their three days
In the slammer
Yet we remain remain remain pacifist !
They throw flash bombs at us
That explodes in our faces
Our friends limbs get beaten
Some even loose their eyes
We don’t disrupt anything! We remain pacifist!
We don’t break anything ! Must not harm public opinion!
We don’t disrupt anything! We remain pacifist!
We don’t break anything ! Must not harm public opinion!
When they shoot at cegep students
Who are a bit too idealistic
We might not say anything
When it comes time to react
But the remain remain remain Fucking cops!
At the service of the rich and fascists!
But we remain remain remain Fucking cops!
At the service of the rich and fascists!
Its not pacifist Who will change history!
We throw rocks and burn their cars!
we are not asking fro a free universiy what we want is a free society
a free university within a capitalist society is like a reading room inside of a prison