Montreal police deployed tear gas and stun grenades as a student protest against austerity turned chaotic on Friday afternoon.
Thousands of participants gathered at Square Victoria for the march. Tensions escalated on Viger Street.
Some demonstrators hurled rocks and a white liquid at police officers. Officers in riot gear dispersed the crowd with flash-bang devices and tear gas clouds.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) reported multiple instances of violence and property damage. The Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante syndicale (CRUES) organized the demonstration.
SPVM spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said that three people were arrested following the clashes. Two arrests were for armed assault on a police officer, and a third was for assault on a police officer.
Police documented eight cases of vandalism targeting buildings or vehicles. Shattered windows hit the World Trade Centre Montreal.
No members of the public sustained injuries. One officer was hurt after falling from a bicycle during the operation.
The demonstrations capped a weeklong student strike. Protesters opposed living costs, housing pressures, and potential spending cuts under the newly elected Parti Québécois government.
Protesters demanded increased institutional funding and paid internships. They also demanded a complete overhaul of the Aide Financière aux études (AFE) program.
Students said that the existing financial aid framework relies heavily on parental contributions. Those contributions often do not reflect families actual financial realities.
Others pointed to the heavy burden of unpaid requirements. That burden includes about 900 hours of unpaid teacher training internships.
Food Banks of Quebec reported that requests have topped three million every month since the beginning of the year. Demonstrators pointed out that similar financial strain is felt by learners in specialized programs and regional institutions alike.
Social studies students living in studio apartments near Montreal colleges feel the strain. “I'm exceedingly lucky because I have family who can help,” Rafael Lemay-Fortin, a social studies student at Cégep de Saint-Laurent, said.
Participants pointed to deteriorating physical infrastructure within higher education institutions. Students from various campuses said that specific buildings are falling apart, elevators frequently stay out of service, and staircases are visibly crumbling.
Observers and attendees connected these issues to long-term government neglect of public education networks.
“You take Concordia, for example, we're seeing a rapid increase in class size, the student-to-professor ratio, we're seeing cuts in course selection, and the university is starting to fire a lot of their faculty, leaving big gaps in the programming, making these rapid cost-cutting measures, really degrading the quality of the education we're receiving,” a Concordia University student James said.
Higher Education Minister Elsie Lefebvre and Minister of Public Safety Guy Lapointe Jr. issued a joint statement later Friday evening. They condemned the vandalism while acknowledging the student mobilization.
“It is unacceptable for anyone to take advantage of this movement to commit acts of vandalism or destruction and, in doing so, jeopardize the sense of safety of peaceful protesters,” the ministers wrote.
Justin Lamarche, a student, told reporters that participants are inheriting a difficult environment. That environment features negative developments and stringent cost-cutting measures.
CRUES organizers said that student associations are scheduled to meet following the demonstrations. They will discuss further steps regarding education funding and institutional reforms.
