On August 13th 2012 students at Montreal CEGEPs (Quebec senior high schools/colleges) gathered into General assemblies to decide on maintaining the strike or going back to school. Many activist and students from Ontario made it down to help with the school blockades as well as join the demonstrations, including the Indignants from London ON.

The evening demo started with one CEGEP joining the demonstration, then the crowed marched to a CEGEP which was having a general Assembly. Some activists and students went into the school and up to the gym were the students were voting.

The demonstration continued on, and word had got out that some key schools had voted to go back; this definitely affected the overall mood of the rally. About 2 hours in, the police attacked with rubber bullets and tear gas, splitting the crowd into several small groups, than continued to attack the small groups till people gave up.

Many good organizers are saying all is lost, but looking into that gymnasium seeing all the students participating in a General Assembly, I thought that in itself is a huge victory. Democracy is not perfect, but at least the students in Quebec are leaps and bound ahead of us in Ontario in horizontal democracy.  The model used by the Quebec students is one that encompassed accountability and empowers them, with some tweaking and time we can make it work here.

Mike Roy http://www.theindignants.org

Photos of school blockade and evening demonstration: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152001312030234.883258.784550233&type=3

Video: http://youtu.be/KfPkG_ADQKY?hd=1 <--HD video of demo

*Will have a video of School blockade up soon and will post here.