vimeo.com/.../158662537

- The Montreal police,
but other police forces as well,

enjoys a certain prestige,
a little bit like the army,

for some people,
as well as great impunity.

Just in the past year, members
of the Montreal police

did really deplorable things.

There is racial discrimination,
there's social profiling,

I work in the city center,
at UQAM,

in Berri, so I can see
how police manage

the problem of homelessness
by giving tickets.

It's a completely absurd way
to handle this situation.

So, there's really a lot of
reasons to take one day a year

to protest against the police.

- My name is AndrĂŠs,
I am from Victoriaville,

and we support the people
who are against police brutality.

- I'm Martin, I'm from Saint-Jean,

and I am here to participate!

- I am Yann, from Victo as well,

and I come here to settle
this conflict of interest.

it's going to shit,
and I don't like that.

- I am Jaema, hello ..

- This is the first time
you come to the demo?

- Yes, the first time.
- Why did you come here today?

- Well, I'm from Magog,
maybe you know it,

and the Magog cops are very repressive
and very unpleasant.

They have nothing to do
so they harass young people,

It's really unjust,
they are there to protect us

but they beat us up instead.

So something's not right...

- I am Vincent
- I am Sebastien, hello.

- I'm from Montreal Nord .. haha ..

I think that explains
why I am here today ..

- Did you see the media coverage?

- Yeah, very good media coverage,
very good,

very balanced .. no, i'm kidding!

It is completely incredible,
but the media coverage

on the demo against police brutality

always has the same problem,
because it gives

great visibility to the police.

- In the "Journal de Montreal",
to be honest, it's really awful.

We're portrayed as a band of young
barbarians who destroy everything.

I think it is a bit too much ..

And on the other hand
they glorify the police

who are far from perfect.

- What people do not seem
to realize is that the police

is what the protest is about!

So if the institutions have to argue

about the legitimacy of the event,
it would be nice if someone else
48
00:02:49,330 --> 00:02:51,950
than the police themselves
speak in public,

because they are judge
and party in this debate.

And every year, the police
say the same thing,

they say: "Be careful, there will
be violence, it'll be dangerous,

These people are irresponsible. Etc."

But that's convenient when they
are the ones being criticized.

It allows them to deflect attention
from the real issues,

diverting attention from criticism
that is against the police

by protesters, today.

- Our role as mediators
is to really...

in terms of the
"use of force continuum",

to respect the citizens
in their right to protest.

At first, with verbal interacion.

It has been proven that
the intellect of the people

can drop to the mentality
of a 3 year old.

So they don't really think before
doing something, they just do it.

- One thing that's disappointing,
how can the police manage this demo?

It's a big problem.
We were just discussing it,

is it really the right approach
to have a huge police presence?

Rather than trying to control
a little more this internally?

- It's very hostile, people walking
around with weapons in public.

It's super hostile,
it pisses me right off.

There's a bit of both, some folks
just come to fuck shit up.

But I find that the police tend
to be a little too repressive,

and they don't help us
to like them.

So the provocation can
come from both sides.

Look, they don't want
to hear anything.

They're here with tons
of reinforcements, horses, trucks,

it seems that there are trucks
on every street corner, it's crazy.

I don't know what they expect from us.

But, hey, they need to grow up...
Come on.

This is the year where I noticed
the police, in the media,

insisted the most on the fear of violence,
saying "COBP wants to be more violent."

COBP: Collective Opposed
to Police Brutality

They went so far as to say in the media
it was ridiculous, Wednesday or Thursday,

after a press conference, that the COBP are
better organized than before, as evidenced

by the fact that there are fewer
spelling mistakes in their documents.

A very strong analysis.

That's the kind of thing the police
works from, it's pretty much bullshit.

Last year, it was really funny,
PKP, Pierre Karl,

he's up there in his helicopter,

was filming everything that
got busted, even garbage.

So you could overturn a trash can
last year, and they would film it.

They just want sensationalism.

- I don't know if you noticed,
the headlines after the March 15th demo

are always the same:
"A protest against police violence

... turns violent.

They always do the same pun,
and by repeating it over and over,

it penetrates into the heads of people
who do not take the time to learn

a little more precisely
about what happened.

They make a lot of noise
to turn it into a scandal.

Like the guy with a gas mask on the first
page of the "Journal de Montreal".

It signifies: "OK, let's go
we will destroy this city!".

But it's not that, it's to say
what we have to say.

- But it's still a pretty easy
event to turn

to sensationalism, for sure.

It's impressive, it always turns into a riot.
Is it going to this year?

I think so, especially with a
police presence like that,

it provokes escalation.

Police presence is more pressing
just before the march starts.

What's this? This is provocation from them!

The people coming,
they can't get out.

They used this as a pretext
to close the subway.

Those who arrive by subway,
they will let them inside.

Can i come inside?

As the Mt-Royal av. is blocked, the organizers
decide to go toward St-Denis street.

Now it's pretty quiet, I was wondering,

because right away the demonstration
was declared an unlawful assembly.

so I was expecting a quick intervention,
I don't know what they're planning,

but they will surely
intervene soon.

RIGHT

Undercover agents

Undercover agents in action

And the police repression starts

In particular, the Fraternity
of Montreal police officers,

by the voice of its leader, its general,
Yves Francoeur,

There's a particularly good quote,
I'd be happy to read you,

because it reflects the ideology
of the Montreal police right now.

The quote is:

"Our job, as police, is repression."

"We don't need a social and
community worker as a director,

but a general."

"After all, the police is a paramilitary
organization, let's not forget this!"

An Independant Media Center reporter
is arrested...

221 arrested
on March 15th, 2009

I walk again today, with my friends,
we stand up together!

United! Fuck!
This is how the world should be.

The whole fucking World,
not a country.

THE WORLD!