MONTREAL - It was a busy day for tuition hike protesters in Montreal as UQAM and Concordia students both pushed forward into the spotlight.
After marching on repeated occasions, UQAM's anti-tuition hike student protesters tried sitting Monday after marching to Premier Charest's office.
The students drank beer, made art and undertook other diversions under the watchful eye of riot police.
The UQAM students returned to their home base and then held a sit-in on an unseasonably sunny and mild March afternoon at Sanguinet and Ste. Catherine, forcing traffic to make a detour between the Main and St. Denis as well as on Sanguinet between de Maisonneuve and Rene Levesque.
After remaining peacefully in place for most of the afternoon and evening, the students then marched to Old Montreal and demonstrated in front of the offices of La Presse -- at which point some windows of the newspaper's offices were smashed.
UQAM administration, which had closed four buildings Monday morning due to fears of a student occupation, said that the Hubert-Aquin, Judith-Jasmin, Paul-Gérin-Lajoie and Thérèse-Casgrain buildings would be reopened on Tuesday.
Concordia anti-tuition movement holds second controversial vote
Undergraduate students at Concordia University voted to join in on the action Monday morning.
"This decision was taken in General Assembly, which means to say that it's a collective decision," said graduate student Rushdia Mehreen.
Critics pointed out that only about 2,000 voted and those who did voted 67 percent in favour of the protest action, but many students are still attending classes.
Sociology, Anthropology and grad students joined over a dozen departments already officially boycotting classes.
Access to some classes was shut down, according to one student. "Certainly there are people who are being barred access to classrooms. I can't speak for everybody because that's a departmental choice," he said.
The policy did not please every dues-paying Concordia student.
"I have already paid for this education and I'd like to be able to receive it," said Fine Arts student Catherine Kerr. "I don't think the method that they're going about it is really the most productive way."
Others interviewed at Concordia's John Molson School of Business doubted that anybody from that faculty would join in when their time to vote comes up.
"I think everybody's just going to shut up and go to class," one told CTV Montreal.
Violent clash leads to new model of protest
Elsewhere student protest leader Martine Desjardins said that last week's clashes between students and police had led to both sides rethinking their approaches.
Police were being more flexible in their approach to the students, she felt.
It was unclear whether UQAM would be reopening its facilities after shutting down to avoid a possible student occupation.
Quebec intends to increase tuition by $1,625 over five years, leaving it still cheaper than universities elsewhere in Canada, but one UQAM protester argued that it's more logical to compare tuition rates to Europe rather than North America.
"No one can afford it here, it's impossible," said the student demonstrator.
"We always compare ourselves to the United States, which is the highest, why don't we compare ourselves with Denmark? It's the best, it's free, we have to compare ourselves to better, not worse," she told CTV Montreal.
Among the other protest actions occurring Monday was a march in the morning at Emilie-Gamelin Square in Montreal.
Another march was planned at the World Trade Centre on McGill St. for 1 p.m.Tuesday.
Teachers from College Edouard-Montpetit in Longueuil picketed in support of the students early Monday.
And Wednesday students at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi will vote on whether to join the approximately 150,000 students currently involved in a walkout according to Desjardins.
Students are organizing a large gathering on March 22 with the support of several groups. The demonstrators have provided their march route to police to ensure safety, according to Desjardins.
With a file from The Canadian Press
