the briefing room

A total of 37 protesters were arrested early Friday morning following a violent overnight clash with Montreal police when officers were called in to break up an occupation of CÉGEP de Vieux Montréal. The arrested protesters are expected to face a range of charges, such as conspiracy, assault with a weapon on police officers, and mischief. CÉGEP administrators had announced earlier that “all activities have been suspended” following a general-strike vote by students. Meanwhile, police have arrested 4 individuals out of the hundreds of demonstrators who assembled Thursday morning in a protest that included a wide range of grievances, including increased tuition fees. Students, unions, and women’s groups held a joint protest in a downtown Montreal area around the local stock exchange, as access to a hotel was blocked off. Riot police were called in and the situation became tense as police officers dispersed pepper spray into the crowd. Montreal Gazette | CTV (Academicagroup)