The Rise of the Idiōtēs: What happened on November 10th at McGill University?

Better than any independent report is a collective report, this is an ever changing document and this is how it stands on November 17, 2011:

English Version:

On November 10th, 2011, students and other residents of Montreal gathered to protest planned provincial tuition increases: a hike of $325 per year over the next five years, bringing tuition fees from $2,168 presently to $3,793 in 2017.[1]

In the morning, before the main downtown protest, students at Dawson College blocked entrances to their school, leaving only one door accessible, which was surrounded by protesters with signs.[2] Classes at the school were cancelled for the day.

The initial gathering point was the Berri–UQAM metro station at 2 PM.[3] The CBC estimated 20,000 people were present[4], though the police placed the numbers at 15,000 and the FÉUQ[5] at 30,000.[6] From there the protest marched up Berri, across Sherbrooke and toward Premier Jean Charest’s office on McGill College. Many violent protesters threw paint bombs and fireworks at the building[7] which had a police cordon in front of it before the protest arrived. At 4:30 PM, “flaming projectiles” were reported to have been thrown at police in front of Charest’s office.[8] By 4:41 PM, many protesters had left the area outside Charest’s office, leaving small groups, while police stayed on site.[9]

At approximately 3:45 PM, 14 protesters, some wearing bandanas (cite), attempted an occupation of the fifth floor of the James Administration building at McGill University[10]. The doors were unlocked as it was still during working hours for the building. Upon entrance, they raised their hands and announced a peaceful occupation of McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum’s office. After a banner reading “Nov 10. Occupons McGill!” was strung from the window, McGill Security violently swarmed the students. Security was called by the workers in the Principal’s office, who were allowed freedom to stay or go by the occupiers. When news of the force applied to students in the building reached the outside, the support for the occupation began to draw a large crowd of protesters to the McGill downtown campus to secure the safety and liberty of those inside[11].

As students and a few McGill professors (Adrienne Hurley, Ian Gold, Greg Mikkelson -- conversational/eyewitness accounts) gathered around the entrance to James Administration, the occupiers began to contact their supporters on the outside. The occupiers relayed the situation from inside: they claimed they were being physically assaulted by McGill security, thrown to the ground, kicked, and punched in the stomach.[12] The crowd outside began to strategize ways to help those on the inside. At the front entrance, students tried negotiating their entrance, first suggesting to security that they allow a pair to go inside and confirm that the situation was peaceful before ceding to a single individual and finally asking for security to merely take a camera in and quickly film the happenings upstairs before returning it to the friends outside. All such requests were denied. Another phone call from within confirmed that the administration (citation needed) had called the police, and as it had become clear by then that there was no way to enter the building with McGill security forcefully blocking every entrance, supporters decided to instead prolong negotiations inside and protect their friends by blocking police from entering to the building by forming a human chain in front of every entrance: those on the side, front, and back. (*can this paragraph be rewritten to sound more impersonal?*)

Approximately 20 students stormed the second floor lobby of the building after somebody inside had left, and the security was unable to re-close the opened door. Pushing and shoving occurred with the security guards, and one girl was allegedly tackled on the ground by a security guard without being subsequently helped up by him. The security had to reform another wall past the lobby door so that more of the building wouldn’t be lost to the protesters. The protesters sat down in solidarity with those on the fifth floor[13]. The fifth floor occupiers negotiated for the unconditional release of everyone in the building, free of police charges or McGill disciplinary investigation, with Provost Anthony Masi and Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson[14] .

At 16:52hrs[15], approximately 10 to 20 non-riot police on bikes arrived in front of the James Administration and stood by. The officers then attempted to push the crowd back with their bikes. A police officer’s tire fell of his bike after forcefully hitting a student demonstrator. Students cried out “shame”, denounced the confrontation before tossing projectiles -- signs and pickets -- at the police,[16] who then departed. There was at least one use of pepper spray at this point. (23)

At approximately 16:55hrs the police on bikes left[17], as riot police promptly arrived in vans from University Street, entering through the Milton Gates. They marched up to the entrance of the Administration building, striking their shields with batons, before standing off against a human chain of students hoping to prolong negotiations inside. Students chanted for the safe release of the students inside and were by and large peaceably assembling aside from a small group who taunted and swore at police, while holding their ground. In response, the riot police first used pepper spray on those students nearest the entrance and attempted to disband them. A sitting demonstrator received a kick in the face before a charge forward from the police that pushed demonstrators further back from the entrance. The police then proceeded to disperse the crowd gathered in front of the administration building with pepper spray, tear gas, batons and shields[18].

At 16.57hrs[19], riot police entered the Roddick Gates, circling and pushing protesters onto University Street with pepper spray and riot shields.[20] The Montreal Gazette reported that for the next hour, “horses and at least one tear gas grenade were used to push the lingering [protesters] onto Milton [Street].”[21]

Police proceeded to push students out of campus through the Milton gates. Here, riot police and police on bikes lined up in the middle of the intersection to allow kettled (source?) students out of the Milton gate area

Students who had not been a part of the protest and who just happened to be on campus were also allegedly harassed and pepper sprayed by the police (citation needed). McConnell Engineering Building was locked down as students moved inside to wash out pepper spray; other buildings around the Milton Gates were also locked to prevent students from entering or leaving.

Four arrests have been made by the SPVM (Montreal police force) due to aggressive behaviour toward police officers, theft, etc.[22] These four have been confirmed as three men and one woman.[23] (apparently only one was at mcgill. the other three were at the protest proper, though details are sparse)

Version «française» :

Le 10 novembre 2011, une manifestation organisée par l’Alliance sociale (syndicats, associations étudiantes, groupes communautaires) a eu lieu pour dénoncer, entre autres, la hausse des frais de scolarité de 1625$ sur cinq ans annoncée par le gouvernement Charest.

Le rassemblement a eu lieu au parc Émilie-Gamelin (station du métro Berri–UQAM) à 14h00. La CBC a annoncé qu’il y avait alors environ 20 000 personnes. Le SPVM avance pour sa part le nombre de 15 000 et la FEUQ, celui de 30 000. Lorsqu’il fut mis en branle, le cortège se dirigea d’abord sur Berri, puis sur Sherbrooke pour s’arrêter enfin sur la rue McGill College devant les bureaux du premier ministre Jean Charest. Quelques manifestants ont ensuite lancé des bombes de peinture et des feux d’artifice sur l’immeuble protégé par un cordon policier. À 16h30, des témoins rapportent avoir vu des projectiles en feu lancés aux policiers devant les bureaux de Charest. À 16h41, la grande majorité du cortège avait déjà quitté les lieux. Seuls de petits groupes et la police demeurèrent sur place.

À 17h, des policiers anti-émeutes ont passé le portail Roddick. Ils ont repoussé une partie des manifestants sur la rue University avec des lacrymogènes et leur bouclier.

À 17h44, il restait seulement un lieu problèmatique, le portail Milton (sur les rues Milton et University). Treize manifestants ont occupé le 5e étage de l’immeuble James (administration) à l’Université McGill, plus particulièrement le bureau de la rectrice Heather Monroe-Blum. Cette occupation a commencé à attirer une foule sur le campus.

Les manifestants à l’intérieur de l’immeuble ont négocié avec les (???)

Environ 10 policiers sont arrivés en vélo et attendaient. Ils ont essayé de repousser la foule avec leurs vélos. La foule a repoussé la police et a lancé des ordures aux policiers qui se sont alors repliés.

Pour arriver à renvoyer les 13 manifestants dans l’immeuble, des employés de Sûreté McGill les ont bousculés et ont fait usage de coups de pieds.

Environ 4 minutes après, des policiers anti-émeutes sont arrivés sur la rue University. Ils se sont rendus a l’entrée de l’immeuble d’administration en frappant leur matraque sur leur bouclier. Là, ils ont fait face à la ligne d’étudiants qui protégait ceux restés à l’intérieur. Les étudiants ont scandé des slogans et ont crié aux policiers qu’ils ne bougeraient pas. Après une valse-hésitation, les policiers ont répliqué en utilisant des bombes lacrymogènes, des matraques, et des boucliers. On a dit qu’il y avait aussi des policiers à cheval. L’utilisation d’une grenade incapacitante a été avancée.

On a fermé l’immeuble McConnell (ingénierie) et d’autres immeubles près du portail Milton.

Le SPVM a arrêté quatre personnes pour voies de fait, vol, etc.

First-Hand Accounts