MONTREAL -- Protests were held in Montreal and Quebec City in violation of curfew on Tuesday night but were quickly dispersed.
It was the third night in a row that protests were held.
A small group of people gathered in downtown Montreal shortly before curfew was to begin at 8 p.m. but a was met with a large police presence and quickly broke up. Police said no arrests were made and no tickets given out.
In Quebec City, a small gathering of around 20 people turned up outside Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault's office. At the onset of curfew at 8 p.m., police moved in the crowd was dispersed by 8:45 p.m.
The quiet evening came after two nights that saw multiple people arrested and hundreds of tickets given out in Montreal.
While numerous fires were set and storefronts damaged in what turned into a riot in Old Montreal on Monday, Tuesday's protest saw a heavy police presence when demonstrators turned up downtown.
Still, some present fired off fireworks and broken windows after the 8 p.m. curfew went into effect. Six people were arrested, including one for assaulting an officer and 192 tickets were given out for violating public health rules.
“We're tightening the screw here,” said SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. “We want people to make sure they're respecting those measures and that we can, as soon as possible, get out of COVID together.”
Earlier in the day, Premier Francois Legault addressed Quebec's young people, saying that while he has heard their message, the increasing number of people below 60 being hospitalized for COVID-19 necessitates the ongoing curfew.
For the second night in a row, the STM announced changes to bus service in anticipation of the protest. Bus routes that were diverted at 7 p.m. included the 15, 24, 35, 55, 61, 75, 80, 107, 125, 129, 150, 168 and 178.
