Translating the printemps érable

Gabrielle Duchaine     August 1, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/dossiers/conflit-etudiant/201208/01/01-4561497-des-milliers-de-marcheurs-pour-une-100e-manifestation.php

PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE

(Montreal) Summer vacation hasn’t taken the drive out of the student movement. One hundred days after the first night demonstration against tuition hikes, and 12 hours after the official launch of an electoral campaign, thousands of casseroles and demonstrators took to the streets of Montreal Wednesday night. A warning to disperse was given by the SPVM at 10:30pm.

Even the famous Anarchopanda came to the head of the demonstration. He received a veritable ovation on his arrival, which galvanized the crowd, already feverish under a stormy sky.

Masks, a giant red square, mascots, flags, fireworks, whistles, scarves…there was everything, and there was a lot of it.

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June 22, 2012

Original French text: http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/societe/2012/06/22/001-manifestation-nationale-quebec-montreal-loi-78-conflit-etudiant.shtml

[follow link for embedded video]

Like on the 22^nd of every month since March, a large national protest took place in Montreal, but this time in Quebec City too, to protest against the tuition fee hike and against bill 78, regarding, among others, the right to protest. They brought together tens of thousands of people.

In Montreal, the protest took place peacefully, in a festive and peaceful atmosphere. Many families participated in the march alongside students, but also elected officials, including the spokespersons for Quebec solidaire, Amir Khadir and Françoise David, and union organizations like l’Alliance de la fonction publique du Canada.

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Event: March against the student-fee hike
By : CLASSE
Date : June 22nd, 2pm to 5pm
Location : Place du Canada, Montreal

Description : On June 22nd, let’s walk together in protest against the student-fee hike and Bill 78.  The Coalition large de l’ASSÉ (CLASSE) invites all Quebeckers to join us and march in the streets of Montreal.  We must all stand together against the antisocial policies of the Charest government. 
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/100800863395179/

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Event : Reclaiming the National Assembly!
By : JAPPEL15M
Date : June 22nd, noon to June 25th, 11pm
Location : Quebec National Assembly

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Marie-Claude Lortie                June 8, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/marie-claude-lortie/201206/08/01-4532858-la-fievre.php

The least you can say is that springtime in Montreal isn’t mundane.

Crossing the city has become an adventure.

When you don’t fall upon violent clashes between protesters and police, it’s the joyous citizens beating their casseroles that are in the street, or you meet Forumla 1 fans getting themselves photographed in front of a million dollar Bugatti on Sherbrooke Street, where the Ritz just reopened, where the famous franco-new-york chef Daniel Boulud just set up. And when you don’t fall upon Francis Ford Coppola or Arianna Huffington at the airport, it’s the soccer star David Beckham eating at Pied de cochon.

The street food that was believed to be forbidden slips between the lines of the regulations to create its picnics here and there, be it at place Émilie-Gamelin or the Olympic park.

The FrancoFolies are starting. Jackhammers and torrential rains do their thing in a thousand streets, tunnels and construction sites, creating traffic jams that rival those created by the protesters with red squares, be they dressed or stark naked.

In short, from the city of Dorval to Viau Street, passing by Saint-Laurent and Crescent and even more, the city refuses to be boring. Serious, painful, tense, but often joyous, superficial, deep, illuminated, at times macho and hysterical, she worries us maybe a little sometimes, but makes up for it above all with her multiple moods.

This city is alive. It’s crazy.

“People from France know what this is”, said Daniel Boulud, the chef, when I met him yesterday afternoon at his new restaurant on Sherbrooke West, Maison Boulud. The institution he represents isn’t exactly the kind that the Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of the world frequent, but contrary to Jacque Villeneuve, he doesn’t have a negative word on the subject of the protests. “They tell me that tonight they will be masked and naked, it’s brilliant”, he said laughing. “They have courage, here”, he added, chef Riccardo Bertolino, well-known head of Montreal kitchens, nods.

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Jeanne Corriveau   La Presse canadienne   24 mai 2012 15h55  Montréal

Original French Text: http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/montreal/350793/prix-en-democratie-theatre-absurde-a-l-hotel-de-ville-de-montreal

Montrealers are welcome to hit their pots and pans to protest Law 78, but they should do it on their balconies and not in the street, declared mayor Gérald Tremblay at noon today, who was infuriated by the multiplication of protests in the city.

“They can stay on their balconies to make noise. I’m in Outremont and I can hear it. No need to go onto the street, to walk around and paralyse Montréal,” explained the mayor during a press conference at city hall. “No need to do it in the street without giving their planned route.”

After another long night of protesting where the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) made 518 arrests, the mayor was unable to hide his exasperation.

While supporting the work of the police officers, Gérald Tremblay indicated that he hadn’t given the SPVM instructions on which strategy to choose.

Remember that last night, the police more firmly enforced the new municipal rule governing the protests. In the early morning, they made massive arrests downtown, even though the protests were happening peacefully. Groups of people playing on pots and pans coming from Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie and Villeray made their way joyfully all the way to downtown, but we don’t know if any of them were arrested.

“The police enforced a rule, I didn’t give them instructions,” confirmed Mayor Tremblay. “The police have a new law and it is up to them to use it with discretion. I wouldn’t assume the role of a police officer. I wasn’t elected to be a police officer. It’s up to the police to apply their own intervention strategy.”

Once again, the mayor pleaded for a quick resolution to the dispute between Québec and the students. “This is a conflict between the Government of Québec and the students. But why is it always Montréal, our businesses and our citizens who are taken hostage? This must be solved as quickly as possible,” he insisted. “It’s not only the police officers who are tired. I think the whole society is tired, and fed up. I’m sure it’s the same thing for the students… What are we waiting for? It will be a rude awakening, so this needs to end as quickly as possible.”

Theatre of the absurd for the price of democracy

Tremblay gave these words outside of the award ceremony for “Montréal’s Mayoral Prize for Democracy” which took place at city hall this morning. The event turned into a Theatre of the Absurd, as the two winning organizations denounced his bylaw prohibiting the wearing of masks as they accepted this prize.

Spokesperson for the Centre d’éducation et d’action des femmes de Montréal [Montréal Centre for Women’s Education and Action], Christine Drolet, expressed her “uneasiness,” suggesting that it was paradoxical that the mayor would award a prize for democracy while at the same time attempting to prevent its expression with the adoption of the new rule controlling protests, a rule she denounced.

For her part, the spokesperson for the Groupe de travail en agriculture urbaine [Group for Urban Agriculture Work], Marie-Ève Julien-Denis, invited Mayor Tremblay to respect and protect the right to protest that the citizens of Montréal have “courageously and massively” chosen to exercise.

The president of Chantier sur la démocratie [Fieldwork on Democracy], Dimitri Roussopoulos, brought up that the Greek capital of Athens had been the site of violent protests and riots involving masked protesters and that social peace returned after an election, without it being necessary to adopt a special law like Law 78 or a rule on wearing masks.

During public hearings preceding its adoption, Roussopoulos spoke against the rule that required presenting a route plan and the ban on wearing masks.

Mayor Tremblay, who had been the first to speak praising Montréal’s democracy, remained stoic throughout the speeches.

Afterwards, at a press conference, he declared simply that it was like this that democracy was expressed freely.

Opposition Leader Louise Harel stated that 518 arrests was excessive, and felt that the mayor should have delayed granting these democracy prizes, adding that he had little to teach people about democracy after the arrests of his former collaborators last week for fraud and breach of trust.

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.

Emmanuel Delancour   May 23, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2012/05/23/contre-la-loi-78

“In our opinion, the task of driving buses in extreme conditions belongs to the police.”

The STM Bus Driver’s Union calls on its members to disobey law 78, a suggestion that angers the Montreal Police (SPVM).

“This law is an offense to our fundamental rights and it doesn’t only effect the students. In the past, we joined together to denounce the P.P.P. . These protests would have been declared illegal under this law,” explained Denis Vaillancourt, Executive President of the STM Bus Driver’s Union, the SCFP 1983.

Moreover, he encourages his members to no longer volunteer for extra hours during protests, by way of not transporting police officers that are assigned to the events.

“Stupid and irresponsible”

“These remarks are stupid and irresponsible,” declared Yves Francoeur, president of the brotherhood of Montreal police (fraternite du SPVM), adding, “that they could generate prosecution under the criminal code.”

In effect, M. Francoeur confirmed that the drivers who refuse to transport agents of the SPVM could be accused of impeding the work of police officers.

It is just as regrettable that the leaders of SCFP 1983 lower themselves to using videos taken “out of context that mislead people” to justify their decisions.

Indeed, on the STM bus driver’s union’s website, videos depicting SPVM agents pepper spraying and bludgeoning protesters were put on line after texts calling for civil disobedience.

A Question of Security

M. Vaillancourt replied that he has only the wellbeing of his members in mind when he asks them not to voluntarily transport police officers.

“It’s a question of health and security. Bricks were thrown threw the rear window of a bus borrowed by the SPVM. I will not wait until one of my members is hurt to caution them,” he underlined.

Moreover, the president of SCFP 1983 maintains that his members are not impeding the work of police officers and that this is no place to talk of criminal prosecution.

“The SPVM can still commandeer a bus of the SPVM at anytime and no driver will oppose him. Also, the police service possesses large vehicles that it can use during interventions,” he reminded.

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.

Gabrielle Duchaine  May 24, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/justice-et-faits-divers/201205/24/01-4528105-loi-speciale-pluie-de-contestations-a-prevoir.php

A genuine tidal wave of disputations could be hitting the Montreal’s municipal courts as now nearly 500 people are intending to request a nullification of the fines they would have received at a student protest. 

Even if the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM - The City of Montreal’s police force) multiplies its announcements on Twitter and its loudspeaker truck as soon as a protest becomes illegal, many people believe to have been falsely arrested. 

Lawyer Denis Poitras calculated that between 400 and 500 of his clients will be going to court to contest their charges. They will be contesting certain disposals of the new municipal bylaw and the special law pertaining to protests or will be attempting to prove that they cannot be applied to the circumstances in which they were arrested, said the lawyer. That’s not counting all those who will be pleading their innocence without the help of a lawyer or who will be represented by a member of the Quebec Bar. 

Brutal arrest

André Dufour, a 55 year-old doctor who claimed to have been brutally arrested during Sunday’s protest, is one of those who will be going to court. He participated in his first night walk for merely a half hour when things went sour. 

At the corner of Ontario Street and Saint-Laurent Boulevard, the police ordered the crowd to disperse. A portion of the crowd started running in any direction at the sound of the deafening grenades. “Me, I decided to walk. I have nothing to hide and I don’t run away from situations”, recalls the doctor, who added that officers from the anti-riot squad charged towards him and yelled at him to “décrisser” (get the f*** out). “They threw themselves down upon me and I tried to defend myself briefly.” Mr Dufour confirmed having suffered a violent truncheon hit to his ear. “I was stunned and I fell to the ground.”

He was brought to the police station, where he was given a 634$ fine for illegal assembly, which he will contest. “It’s not so much the fact that I was arrested, but the manner that shocked me. There was such gratuitous violence and rudeness. I know that the law instructs them to stop me, but I do not agree with the law.”

Benoit Larivier, who was stopped during the same protest, will also turn to the municipal court. This 80 year-old was arrested several minutes after the doctor, at the corner of Parc Avenue and Milton Street, along with a hundred others. “I was heading home when things got a little hectic and I was caught in a mouse trap”, the protester insists. 

The City of Montreal says that it’s ready to confront all these contestations. “In the scenario that there are such a number of files to contest in front of the judge, we are not planning on a jam or an overflow of files at the municipal courts, as it already deals with around one thousand penal files a week,” explained PR officer Gonzalo Nunez, “if there’s a bottleneck of cases in front of a judge, administrative measures will be taken to regroup certain files in order to respect delays.”

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.

Jean-Thomas Léveillé   May 23, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201205/23/01-4528041-des-milliers-de-casseroles-dans-la-rue.php

The faraway rhythm of wooden spoons striking the bottoms of pots and pans became deafening on Wednesday night in Rosemont. At 8pm, in several streets, dozens of people came out of their homes to make some noise, as has been happening for several days. Spontaneously, some left their balconies to march.

From a few dozen at the start, the procession grew to a few hundred. It then crosses a second intersection at Beaubien street and Christophe-Colomb Avenue. The crowd then stopped moving, blocking traffic amidst a great din.

“People walked by on the street in front of my house, it inspired me, it made me want to join them,” said a young father. “I have a beautiful little three-month-old baby, I am doing this for him. This shows how dissatisfied the population is with Charest’s government.”

Identical assemblies also occurred in other parts of the city, notably Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Villeray, as well as in several towns of Quebec.

by Cecile Gladel   May 23, 2012
With the collaboration of all team RueMasson.com: Stephanie Lalut, Eric Christmas, Lisa Marie Noel and David Bruneau.

Original french text: http://ruemasson.com/?p=15761


Starting at 8 pm citizens came onto the streets of Vieux-Rosemont with their pots and pans and made some noise; it was a spontaneous demonstration against the government’s emergency law 78. Citizens wandered the streets for more than two and a half hours. At the height of the event 300 to 500 people attended.

The police from station 44 accompanied the event, which was illegal since the required eight hour notice of the route was not provided, however, they did not intervene. “Everything is going well, we will not throw oil on the fire,” said the supervisor. Everything was going well right until the end of the event, in front of the church [on Masson] at 11pm when there was less than one hundred people left. RueMasson.com left at that time.

The pots and pans demonstration included residents, parents, children, the young and the not-so-young and dogs (on leashes). Citizens came out of their homes banging on pots and pans. Subsequently, people gathered on Masson Street, then meandering the streets of Saint-Michel Beaubien, via Chicago, Holt, Laurel, Dandurand avenues, alleys and gathering twice at the steps of the church. Without organizing and leaderless, the parade was really improvised. It sometimes seemed like it was going in circles.

Update: Here’s a video that summarizes the whole two hours and thirty minutes of the demonstration on May 22, 2012 in 5 minutes. http://youtu.be/kV2ZdrAFJZs

Many residents watched the parade from their balconies, while banging a pan. Some joined the procession, others closed their window, bothered by the noise and some even complained. A mother was out on his doorstep, on Rosemont Boulevard, noting that her baby was sleeping.

People were shouting slogans against the special law: “The special law, we don’t give a damn!” [« La loi spéciale, on s’en câlisse! »]. They made noise with their pans. The atmosphere was peaceful and orderly. It was a party. A protester thanked the officers when leaving. “It doesn’t mean that we necessarily agree with you, but we do accompany you,” a police officer said with a smile.

When the demonstration passed the fire station 29 on Masson Street, the protestors stopped. The firefighters clapped and responded by putting on the fire truck sirens. http://youtu.be/kV2ZdrAFJZs

There was another demonstration on Laurier and St. Michel: http://youtu.be/vbng8emJOiA

The photo album of the event: http://www.flickr.com//photos/ruemasson/sets/72157629856109130/show/

The protestors have decided to regroup in front of the church for subsequent protests.

[Translator’s note: As I translate this article, the pots & pan protest is still making noise in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, over three hours after it started. These protests are a joyful, uplifting and defiant of Law 78. The crowd applauds whenever someone new joins. The following article from a local web-based newspaper in a neighbouring borough really captures the folksy inclusive atmosphere of the protests.]