MONTREAL - Between 50 and 100 protesters defied the weather and the orders of the Montreal police on Tuesday night.
They began at student rally at the usual Émilie-Gamelin Park, near UQAM, where they were heavily guarded by many police officers and at least five policemen on horseback.
As protesters waitied for the demonstration to start, the mood was rather positive, some even taking part in a snowball fight.
Montreal police declared the protest illegal because, as usual, they had not received the route of the march.
Police also said the snowy road conditions were a consideration, even threatening to arrest people if they dared venture into the street.
In a little twist from the norm, protesters entered Berri-UQAM metro station at about 8:45 p.m., chanting a few slogans on the platform before disappearing into a train. They emerged at Mont-Royal metro before strolling on Mount-Royal Ave. westbound. They then turned on Saint-Laurent Blvd. south.
The cat-and-mouse game was finally won by police, however. Around 9:30 p.m., the SPVM announced it had detained a group of dozens of protesters on Saint-Laurent near Rachel.
