I heard
the clanging coming from up the street at 8:00 PM on Saturday night. At first
it was just a couple of people here and there banging pots and pans. By 8:30,
it was a full-fledged demonstration in front of our house in NDG (a residential
neighbourhood in Montreal that is about a 10 min drive from downtown).
The “casseroles”,
or pots and pan protests, have been going on for about a week now, and have
spread to many communities in Montreal and many cities and towns outside of it. The demonstrations
originally began several months ago as a student protest against tuition hikes.
But since the government of Quebec imposed Bill 78, an emergency law that was
passed on May 18 to limit freedom of assembly without prior police approval,
the protest has broadened to the general population and now is largely a protest
against this law.
Reports
of violence this past weekend were fewer than last weekend, and what I observed
in our neighbourhood was very peaceful, as people came together with their
friends, family, and children.
Here is a
brief summary of what's been happening in Quebec.
7 comments:
Glad you explained what this was all about - I was wondering...
They are very engaging photos - love looking at the different people, their expressions, trying to see what it all means.
Thanks!
Even my sister and niece are standing each evening on the balcony with their sounding pots or are on the street.
You've captured the atmosphere that they told me... wonderful illustration!
Thank you.
Ariane.
Interesting movement in life.
I love it - thanks for sharing this!
I wish I could have seen it too but your photos are such a beautiful description of it. I hope it'll change something too...
intersting life, beautiful photos :)
Wow, interesting times indeed! From your photographs, I thought I was looking at a parade, a celebration of sorts, rather than a protest. Funny, pots and pans are a time-honoured way to guarantee you'll be heard (just ask any toddler).
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