Sentencing arguments take place Friday for former student leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
The former spokesperson for the student coaliton group CLASSE was found in contempt of court for encouraging protesting students to hold demonstrations and ignore court orders.
This stems from the student dispute this summer, when some students sought court injunctions to prevent other students from disrupting classes.
In a televised interview, Nadeau-Dubois's exact words were “I think that it is completely legitimate for students to undertake the means necessary to respect the democratic choice to strike. It’s completely regrettable that a minority of students are using the courts to go around decisions that were made collectively.
“If students need to form picket lines to ensure that their strike votes are respected, we think that’s completely legitimate.”
University of Laval student Jean-Francois Morasse, who had an injunction so his classes could proceed, filed a complaint against Nadeau-Dubois that went to trial in September.
On Nov. 1 Justice Denis Jacques ruled that Nadeau-Dubois was in contempt for inciting non-compliance with court orders.
Nadeau-Dubois faces a maximum sentence of $50,000 and one year in prison. He has already promised to appeal, and asked for help raising money for his legal bills.
He has already raised more than $85,000 through his website.
After that site was launched, supporters of Jean-Francois Morasse began their own grassroots fundraising campaign.
