MONTREAL -- Montreal police officers had to intervene to separate two groups of rival protesters while tensions began to mount on Friday a few steps from the Palais des congrès, where Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette was speaking.
About 80 demonstrators, including UQAM students, were protesting against the minister's immigration reforms and the state secularism law, known as Bill 21.
Next to them, a dozen protesters in favour of the law on secularism also demonstrated.
The rival groups began taunting each other, trying to drown out each other's speeches, and some jostled and pushed each other. Police officers had to intervene and separate them before the situation degenerated.
The group of students called the others 'fascists' and 'racists,' while the other group yelled out 'long live secularism' and 'long live the CAQ.'
People attend a pro-immigration march in Montreal, Friday, November 22, 2019, at the same time as Quebec language and immigration minister Simon Jolin-Barrette gives a speech in a nearby convention centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A representative from the police department asked the larger group – the ones protesting immigration reform and Bill 21 – to tell police where they were planning to march so they could block downtown streets accordingly, but the protesters refused.
After half an hour of demonstrating in Victoria Square, the group decided to move into the streets of Old Montreal and downtown, including to the Palais des congrès, where Jolin-Barrette was set to speak.
The group of about 80 street marchers was followed by protesters from the other group, on the sidewalk, who continued to follow up the first group's chant with slogans and shouts of their own.
The demonstrators stood near the Palais de Congrès without trying to enter.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
