The online edition of the Montreal Gazette ran a story today headlined “518 arrested in biggest crackdown on Montreal student protests”, Gazette, May 24, 2012.
Good.
Calling the marches, riots and demonstrations which have been taking place in Montreal (and their accompanying violence, vandalism and intimidation) student protests, however, is a gross distortion of the facts. They are anything but.
The student protests against a proposed increase in tuition which began last February have been hijacked and have evolved into something much bigger...an attempt by radicals, left-wingers, disenchanted, self-serving, Occupy types and other malcontents who have annointed themselves as guardians of the public good to bring down the freely elected government of Quebec and put in place a new government that is even more socialist and ideologically driven than the old one. What’s going on in Montreal now has nothing to do with protesting against modest hikes in tuition.
The marches, riots, demonstrations, violence, vandalism and intimidation which is occurring on a daily basis are an effort by society's unhappy ideologues to force fundamental social change, nothing more. Student protests against an increase in tuition? Not anymore. In fact, only about one-third of Quebec students protested against the proposed tuition hikes in the first place (the majority choosing to go about their business and carry on with their education) and the vast majority of people taking to the streets each day aren’t students at all...opportunists of all stripes yes, students no.
Make no mistake, it is the violence, vandalism, intimidation and general flouting of the law that the police are reacting to, nothing else. No one is denying anyone’s right to express themselves or to demonstrate peacefully within the boundaries of the law or to try and bring about government or social change through peaceful means. Canada is a free, democratic country after all...its citizens have every right to do all of those things and there are a myriad of ways that they can be done. No one has the right, however, to be a part of a mob and take over the streets...no one has the right to commit violent acts, to vandalize and destroy property; to threaten and intimidate dissenters or to prevent ordinary people from living their lives as normal. Mobs don’t rule in Canada and everyone who was arrested was part of a mob trying to take over the streets.
Arresting people who are part of a mob and committing unlawful acts...good. Let’s hope the police keep it up until the mobs are dispersed and the streets are made safe again. If we want to prevent mob rule in Montreal, in Canada, that’s exactly what's going to have to happen.
Sad but true.
Jerry Philipson is a retired grandfather who has spent many years working in non-profit social service agencies in Canada and the United States. He holds dual Canadian and American citizenship and has been passionate about politics, civil liberties, freedom and democracy for virtually his whole life. He is particularly interested in the Middle East and America and believes that it is vital for people of good heart and good conscience to speak out against tyranny and dishonesty and to stand up and defend and protect Western values, principles and institutions.
