Translating the printemps érable

Original French Text: http://www.bloquonslahausse.com/2012/06/la-classe-denonce-lintimidation-policiere-et-gouvernementale/

Montreal, June 13, 2012 – The Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE) denounces what it considers to be a strategy of intimidation on the part of the police forces and the government. In effect, the cases of preventative arrests, of political profiling, of police brutality and of intimidation have multiplied in the last few weeks.

“The majority of arrests said to be ‘preventative’ were in fact only a grand gesture aiming to create a climate of fear toward the student movement and all people who dare to criticize the liberal government’s policies. This spectacle has to stop”, declares Camille Robert, co-spokesperson for CLASSE. The organization underlines its solidarity toward the people who were arrested and detained during the Montreal Grand Prix and call to mind that the notion of preventative arrests itself is highly worrisome, as much legally as ethically.

Many of the tactics used by the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM) in the last few weeks are reminiscent of those used toward criminal groups: arrests rather than notices to appear in court, heavy media coverage of arrests, political profiling, accusations of a terrorist nature, etc. “These arrests and detentions take place in a more general context of political profiling directed toward the students, which feeds an unhealthy climate that isn’t favorable to political and social debate on the subject of the increase in tuition fees,” continues Madame Robert.

Finally, CLASSE denounces the dishonest attitude of the government in what is associated with wearing the red square. “When ministers declare that wearing the red square comes back to supporting violence and intimidation, it is they who, in fact, devote themselves to intimidation. The red square is a symbol of a will for social justice. To paint the people who wear it as dangerous beings is to ignore the right to have a different opinion than that of the Charest government. That’s a very dangerous thing in a democracy,” underlines Jeanne Reynolds, co-spokesperson for CLASSE.

CLASSE calls on the population of Quebec to participate en masse in the protest on June 22nd and to proudly wear the red square, a symbol of social justice, freedom and real democracy.

Information:
Ludvic Moquin-Beaudry, Press Agent for CLASSE: 514-835-2444
Email: communication@asse-solidarite.qc.ca
Website: www.bloquonslahausse.com

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Translated from the original French by Translating the printemps érable.

*Translating the printemps érable is a volunteer collective attempting to balance the English media’s extremely poor coverage of the student conflict in Québec by translating media that has been published in French into English. These are amateur translations; we have done our best to translate these pieces fairly and coherently, but the final texts may still leave something to be desired. If you find any important errors in any of these texts, we would be very grateful if you would share them with us at translatingtheprintempsderable@gmail.com. Please read and distribute these texts in the spirit in which they were intended; that of solidarity and the sharing of information.