Tens of thousands of Quebec students descended on downtown Montreal Thursday afternoon for the latest in a series of escalating protests against proposed tuition hikes.
"If the government doesn't announce a retreat on the [tuition] hike today the next step will involve actions that disrupt the economy," the C.L.A.S.S.E. student group posted on its Twitter page.
The demonstration came two days after the provincial budget and a blunt refusal by Premier Jean Charest's government to back down on the hikes.
Students have been staging almost daily protests for the last several weeks and blocked a major commuter bridge on Tuesday.
Police have also ramped up tactics and have used chemical sprays against the demonstrators.
The annual $325 hike in tuition proposed by the government would result in an overall increase of $1,625 for Quebec students.
Students argue that increases will limit access to education in the province and have vowed to continue demonstrations until the hikes are abandoned.
No comments:
Post a Comment