https:/.../STREET_POLITICS.ogv

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

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 !

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 !

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 !

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 !

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