Taken just outside my front door. Every evening the neighborhood rings up with the sound of banging pots and pans from balconies. Then through the evening, multiple protests continue through the city with the same sound.
Where the city was divided on the issue of tuition hikes, it has become united in protest of bill 78, an emergency law passed which requires police approval of any assembly or protest of over 50 people. Virtually all protests now are illegal, and the odd mass arrest occurs of people peacefully protesting. For the most part police do nothing, given this extreme power they are using “discretion” with regards to arrests. The protesters are my neighbors, friends, parents and regular people out for a walk to show support against a law in which they feel is unjust.
Contrary to what makes for good TV and Youtube bites, the protests are virtually all peaceful and festive, with a relaxed feeling among the population and the police alike.
A few months ago I made this video http://vimeo.com/stevesigloo/manifencours as a reaction to what I saw as the medias opinion on the protests. I would have never imagined the government would take away our right to assembly as a solution to the conflict. What’s next…?
