This speech (linked immediately below, with recently-added english subtitles included in the video itself) was given by the co-spokespeople (Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois & Jeanne Reynolds) of the Coalition Large de l'Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ie., the Large Coalition of the Association for Student Union Solidarity), or CLASSE, following the historic demonstration on March 22nd, 2012 that saw over 200,000 people take to the streets of Montreal against tuition fee increases.

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http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/video/discours-22-mars-2012-des...

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The speech was heard live by a crowd of hundreds at a free show at the Metropolis featuring artists supporting the students' strike.

The CLASSE has stated that the massive demonstration on March 22nd was just a beginning, rather than a culmination, of the students' organizing efforts to ensure that the tuition hikes proposed by the provincial government (of the Liberal Party of Quebec under the leadership of Jean Charest) don't go through. The CLASSE also demands a free and accessible post-secondary education for all. Student groups have also made important links with labour, feminist, migrant justice and anti-police brutality movements (among others).

Since the historic demonstration, there have been a multitude of actions by students throughout the province of Quebec to halt the proposed tuition hikes, including an escalation of tactics that have included economic disruptions, civil disobedience and various forms of direct action through a diversity of tactics. These actions continue up until today, and show little signs of abating.

The students from the CLASSE have referred to the demonstration on March 22nd as being the point when the student movement evolved into a broader people's movement in the province of Quebec...

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