And on Thursday night -- showing no signs of backing down after the mass arrest the night before -- students again hit the streets in defiance, again banging pots and spoons, and were joined by diverse members of the community in a show of solidarity. Some walked with the protesters through the streets, while others banged and clapped from the balconies as the marchers moved passed.
Students were joined by retirees as well as families with children, all marching in a festive atmosphere. "(Quebec Premier Jean) Charest, you are the pot and we are the spoon!" one banner read.
"Being fined for protesting and demonstrating is silly. I am not afraid of being arrested for fighting for democracy," demonstrator Katie Nelson, 19, who traveled across the country from her home in the Alberta province to support the protests, told Agence France-Presse, and adding that she expects Law 78 will ultimately be ruled unconstitutional.
"I'm here in solidarity with the students," said Henri Fernand, 65, who took part in the protest in his wheelchair, according to a report in the Montreal Gazette. "The youth is our future and I'm proud of them," he added.
Similar demonstrations were held in the provincial capital Quebec City and reported elsewhere across the province.
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Agence France-Presse: Quebec protests resume after mass arrests
Thousands of protesters returned to the streets across Quebec late Thursday in defiance of a new law regulating demonstrations and despite the arrest of some 1,000 protesters this week.
The latest protests came after the Canadian province's government invited student groups to talks in a bid to end more than three months of demonstrations over a proposed university tuition hike.
In Montreal, thousands of residents hit the streets at 8:00 pm Thursday, banging pots and pans and chanting against Law 78, a measure passed last week requiring activists to notify police ahead of demonstrations.
The students were joined by retirees as well as families with children, all marching in a festive atmosphere. "(Quebec Premier Jean) Charest, you are the pot and we are the spoon!" one banner read.
At least three separate processions were under way, with protesters chanting: "The special law, we will win!" despite an appeal from Montreal's mayor for residents to remain at home and bang pots on their balconies.
Demonstrator Katie Nelson, 19, who traveled across the country from her home in the Alberta province to support the protests, said she did not fear arrest or the fines, which start at $600.
"Being fined for protesting and demonstrating is silly. I am not afraid of being arrested for fighting for democracy," she said, adding that she expects Law 78 to be ruled unconstitutional.
* * *
Montreal Gazette: Thursday night march in Montreal illegal with pots-a-clanging
Thousands of protesters returned to the streets across Quebec late Thursday in defiance of a new law regulating demonstrations and despite the arrest of some 1,000 protesters this week.
The latest protests came after the Canadian province's government invited student groups to talks in a bid to end more than three months of demonstrations over a proposed university tuition hike.
In Montreal, thousands of residents hit the streets at 8:00 pm Thursday (0000 GMT), banging pots and pans and chanting against Law 78, a measure passed last week requiring activists to notify police ahead of demonstrations.
The students were joined by retirees as well as families with children, all marching in a festive atmosphere. "
(Quebec Premier Jean) Charest, you are the pot and we are the spoon!" one banner read.
At least three separate processions were under way, with protesters chanting: "The special law, we will win!" despite an appeal from Montreal's mayor for residents to remain at home and bang pots on their balconies.
Demonstrator Katie Nelson, 19, who traveled across the country from her home in the Alberta province to support the protests, said she did not fear arrest or the fines, which start at $600.
"Being fined for protesting and demonstrating is silly. I am not afraid of being arrested for fighting for democracy," she said, adding that she expects Law 78 to be ruled unconstitutional.
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