Pepper spray and tear gas used as police ordered the crowd to disperse and declared the protest unlawful. One person was arrested
What began as a pro-Palestinian gathering at Phillips Square around 9 p.m. quickly consumed central downtown. Chanting protesters, many of them masked, moved down Ste-Catherine St., with police in riot gear containing them on either side.
A message blared over police loudspeakers, ordering the crowd to disperse and declaring the protest unlawful.
Physical clashes broke out between officers and protesters, with police firing pepper spray and tear gas on multiple occasions.
A 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly obstructing police work and assaulting a peace officer. He was released by on a promise to appear in court.
“Some of the protesters were masked and showed hostile behaviour,” according to Montreal police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc, who also said projectiles were thrown toward police.
Police said the window of bank at the corner of Peel St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. was smashed and that “two armed attacks” were leveled at police. Police did not provide more details on the alleged attacks.
The protesters continued to march through downtown Montreal as passersby filmed them on their phones and as people in cars, blocked by the protest, watched through their windows.
Some demonstrators began to disperse as the night progressed, with many leaving via the métro, while others continued to protest, resulting in more clashes with the police. Police said the march ended about 10:30 p.m.
In addition to the police, a private security firm hired by McGill assisted in the takedown.
Encampment representatives labelled these claims as “baseless.”