Quebec student strikes launched with downtown protest

The red squares have returned, but this time time the target isn't tuition fees.

Montreal students held a downtown protest on Monday to kick off nearly twoweeks of planned strikes and demonstrationsagainst what they describe as the province's heavy-handedausterity measures.

Organizers want the province to undo spending cutsand put a moratorium on all fossil fuel development.

"We don't want this to be just a student movement," Charlotte Gilbert, a member of theUQMsocial science faculty student association, said recently.

"We are calling on this to be a social movement that brings together militants from local unions, students, and collectives and community groups from across Quebec."

They hope the latest wave of demonstrations will be even larger than the ones held during the so-called Maple Spring of 2012.

On Monday, though, only a few hundred protestersgathered at Phillips Square.

The protest was declared illegalby police shortly after 12 p.m. ET because an itinerary wasn't provided, as required under a controversial municipal by-law.

Riot police surroundedsome of the protesters.

Montreal police Cmdr. Ian Lafrenire said there was a lot of tension and commotion so officers had to use tear gas.

"It was used to disperse the group of people that we had at the corner ofSt-UrbainandRen-Lvesque...When [there is] confrontation, we use different tactics to avoid using physical force,"Lafreniresaid.

"We had a small group of people who were chasing police officers. They were going in the opposite direction of the traffic, and they were blocking the sixth lane onRen-Lvesque. This is not the kind of protest that normally is OK for us."

Homerun7:50Montreal police on hand for Day 1 of student protest

Homerun host Sue Smith speaks with SPVM Cmdr. Ian Lafrenire about Mondays student protests in Montreal: two people were arrested, 24 received tickets.

Two people were arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer, while24 received tickets for refusing to disperse.

Concordia classes cancelled

So far, at least 25 student associations from Universit de Montral, UQAM, Laval University,ConcordiaUniversity, CEGEP du Vieux-Montral and Universit du Qubec Chicoutimi are taking part in the student strike.

Many classes, including some at Concordia,were cancelled on Monday. A full list of thoseclasses is available here.

Christine Mota, a spokeswoman for the university, said it woulduse the free time to holda day of discussion and debate.

"It's basically a chance to have students and faculty to come together to discuss, really, what's on their mind," she told Daybreak.

"It's also a chance to provide faculty with information about what to do with a strike."

Daybreak Montreal3:46Quebec student strike leads Concordia to cancel class

Thousands of students at Quebec post-secondary institutions have voted to boycott classes today. Students are striking against the Quebec government cuts being made in an effort to reduce the budget deficit to zero next year. Concordia University has canc

Classes will resume and faculty will be expected to teach on Tuesdayeven if Concordia students decide to continue striking, Mota said.

"Students have a right to protest.We understand that.We respect that, but closing off classes or trying to block access is not acceptable," she said.

Associations representing another100,000students arescheduledto hold strike votes in the coming weeks.