GP event cancellation silly: student groups
Student groups are calling the GP’s cancellation of its open house « exagérée » et « précipitée » according to Le Devoir. It does seem like a gesture meant to suggest the lurking “danger” of the students by denying the public a little pleasure. “You’re the reason we can’t have nice things” is a childish but sometimes effective ploy.
ant6n 09:27 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Just like McGill moving convocations from lower campus to the Bell Centre. They announced that like one week before the convocations. And it’s kind of ironic that the move of the convocations happened without
consultation as a top-down decision presented a so shortly before the fact, without a chance of recourse; when the frustration of the students that led to the strikes largely came from a sense of lack of participation.
Ephraim 09:53 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Over 40000 jobs in Montreal are generated by tourism. And a heck of a lot of part time jobs all summer during festival season. (Jobs often filled by students as summer jobs.) Seems to me that simply saying that festivals won’t be disrupted is in the best interest of the students… but they haven’t said that. In fact, there have been repeated threats to the Grand Prix. My facebook is full of them. Nothing is stopping the student groups from simply saying they won’t interrupt the festivals, but they haven’t said it. (My guess is that the mood of the city would certainly swing if they did, though).
Hamza 10:00 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
The moment the government walked away from the table, it became clear that demonstrations were not going to affect the Premier’s decision-making on tuition or anything else. So be it. His behaviour has indicated that he is willing to sell out even his business friends, let alone the city of Montreal and its crucial festival season, for ruthless political gain. He cares about one thing – getting re-elected. Power for power’s sake, economy be damned.
If the students want to achieve their objectives, I hope they evolve their movement from the streets to the ballot box and eventually the Assemblie Nationale.
marco 10:08 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
They threaten to disrupt these events and now student groups act surprised that the event organizers have had to react by making cancellations. Apparently student leaders are not aware of what comes out of their own mouths.
Jonathan 10:37 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
To be fair, they haven’t said they will disrupt any festivals – GND said that they’d be ‘visible’ there, but that’s not the same thing at all. Anonymous’ hacking is a different story, of course, but they don’t really have anything (official) to do with any of the student groups.
If anything’s to be blamed for the loss of tourism, it’s Charest’s utterly inept handling of the situation and the ridiculously sensational spin most media has been putting on the whole story (Montreal is a WAR ZONE!!!).
Kevin 11:39 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
@Hamza
Negotiations typically imply both sides willing to make concessions. Do tell what concession students were willing to make.
Otherwise — Yes, they should take this up politically, and I predict a groundswell of support for Quebec Solidaire in the next election.
qatzelok 11:57 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
If there’s any danger to tourism, Charest should simply pass a law making it illegal to NOT ATTEND festivals this summer. I don’t see why the majority of Montrealers should suffer just because a minority of cowardly tourists is scared of anything that doesn’t look like Disneyland.
Hamza 12:25 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
From CBC – ‘The latest of those proposals would have avoided tuition hikes for two years by instead reducing the income-tax deduction for post-secondary tuition. It would have also curtailed the Quebec Education Savings Initiative, a tax credit implemented by the Liberals in 2007 that gives money to people who open savings accounts for their or their children’s education…Martine Desjardins, president of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, the biggest of the student groups at the table, said the tax credit actually mostly benefits well-to-do families.’
You know why that wasn’t viable for the government? Because it would’ve frozen fees until after the election. They need the hike for votes and as GND said, to save face.
The very idea that students, who have suffered again and again because of their daringness to dissent against this regime, should concede anything is in and of itself obscene.
They’ve lost their semester, they’ve been beaten, arrested, fined and God knows what else. They’ve been libeled on a daily basis by every media outlet in the province, barring internet media and Le Devoir. Their spokesman has been interrogated by the SQ, evicted and threatened with jail for *something he said*.
WHAT MORE could they concede that they haven’t already conceded?
Do tell.
Kevin 13:24 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
@Hamza
Got it.
Protesters don’t have to make concessions because they’ve “lost their semester, they’ve been beaten, arrested, fined” etc. The fact all those things were logical consequences of their own actions in disobeying the rule of law, in refusing to recognize that their views are *not* shared by the majority of the public, let alone the majority of students, is besides the point.
As I said last week, proposing the elimination of the RESP/QESI was blatantly stupid, and it is also anything *but* a concession from students. The whole plan was equivalent to a grasshopper telling the ant that he’s not allowed to save food for the winter.
And just an FYI. Regimes don’t get replaced when people go to the ballot box.
If, however, any student feels they’ve been libelled by the media, there are strict legal definitions that can be pursued in court. I’m sure any student group would be willing to fund the legal fees necessary to file a lawsuit.
Hamza 13:42 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Memo to those who contemplate dissent Generalissimo Charest’s glorious rule of prosperous austerity –
Expect violence. Expect arrest, legal harrassment and further punishment. Expect defeat. Expect submission.
It is only logical.
Hamza 13:47 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
What’s also logical is when thousands of human beings are beaten, arrested and charged with an unjust unconstitutional law that isn’t even being applied by the city’s cops , that their opponents will reap what they sow. Oh there i just broke your joke of a law again.
marco 15:01 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
@Hamza
You’re freakin’ out man. Go punch a pillow.
Bill Binns 15:03 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
@Hamza – “thousands of human beings are beaten”
Really? Where is this happening? In Tremblay’s secret mafia dunngeons under city hall? Wherever these thousands of beatings are taking place it must be dark because nobody has come up with a video of anything worse than Constable Grumpypants spraying one jerk and two bystanders with pepper spray.
If you believe half the things you say, you must be terrified to leave your house.
steph 15:53 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Thousands have been rushed by riot cops, gassed, peppered and matraqued. Thousands have been kettled, detained, cuffed to bruising and arbitrarily fined. It’s not your dungeon scenario but it’s enough to discourage some people from leaving the house and protesting peacefully.
Ephraim 16:23 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Sorry, there are no thousands that have been beaten. There are two eyes lost, so far and a few hospitalized. I think there was one in a coma. Frankly, none of this is worth $1700 extra. It’s a stupid strike. More people are going to be in more financial trouble because of the strike, lack of summer jobs, just to mention one problem. Loss of half a year of your retirement. Frankly, it’s amazing how many people can’t do math and realize that half a year’s income at $30K a year isn’t worth losing over $1700 extra.
steph 18:15 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
fine, your view of what it means to be beaten are different from mine. But i’m certain you wouldn’t tolerate being on the receiving end of that violence from a civilian.
Anto 18:26 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
@Ephraim: If you really believe that all those students have been on strike for six months because they can’t do math, I wonder why you’re still trying to convince such obviously mentally challenged people.
Ian 19:01 on 2012/06/04 Permalink
Now, I know it’s not nice to call names, so I am not going to cast aspersions on Ephraim for belittling the serious beatings that the cops have been laying down that can be easily viewed via youtube, but if it takes the loss of an eye or a hospitalization to count as violence, I’m glad as hell he’s not a cop. It’s not about money, but I guess if money is the only thing that matters to Ephraim, he wouldn’t understand a fight on principle for the greater good. That all the arguments indicating that the tuition hikes aren’t good for the economy have been ignored by him, to the extent that he keeps parroting right wing talking pints with no thing to back them up suggests stubborness more than ignorance – and there’s no point in arguing with someone too stubborn to listen to reason. Let the troll roll.
Kevin 06:00 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
@Hamza
How many people were beaten in April22? May 22? Every night since Bill 78 was passed?
Police officers can be jerks, but they haven’t been breaking up protests unless a protest turns violent.
@Ian
And when do the red square people intend to acknowledge that raising tuition elsewhere has had no negative effect on enrollment?
When even Rima Elkouri has to grasp at the straw that no ‘official’ student organization has threatened to stop the grand prix activities you should realize that you are reaping what you’ve sown.
Ephraim 06:49 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
@Ian – The greater good? This is selfish. Incredibly selfish. Hurting businesses, many of which employ students in the summers (and hire graduates) is selfish. All so you can afford to buy another iPad. If this was selfish, people would be trying to find a way to help those on the bottom. Those who need summer jobs, those who’s families can’t afford tuition. Instead you want everyone in the province to foot the bill for the few. University is a skill, one that you keep as an asset. It isn’t something that you are giving away. Or maybe… we should consider free tuition in return for a few years of national service.
As I have said, there is NO ONE innocent in this. You can talk all you want about what the police did wrong (and frankly, I’m no supporter) but at the same time, the students have violated court orders, broken personal property, assaulted students in a classroom, cajoled the police, etc. There are no angels.
Michel 08:50 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
Such a shame that the protests have resulted in the FREE event being cancelled. Thank FSM that the for-pay events are still going on, protests and disruptions be damned. Yup, the force of the protests were big enough to cancel the FREE event, but not the paying one.
Josh 10:51 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
Clearly, qatzelok needs to be hired as the next spokesperson for Tourisme Montreal: “Oh, you would rather choose a destination that has *not* been featured on the news in recent months as the site of political conflict and sometimes violent protests? Figures. You’re all such wimps. Screw you all, potential tourists!”
Hamza 14:12 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
The people who say ‘it’s just $1700$’ about the tuition hikes are the same who froth at the mouth when gas prices go up 5 cents. You people are jokes.
Bill Binns 14:58 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
@Hamza – It’s interesting that you chose gas prices for your comparison. Quebec drivers are currently paying the highest price per gallon for gas anywhere in the US or Canada. Quebec students are currently paying the lowest tuition prices anywhere in the US or Canada. You see the difference? You see why maybe one group has reason to complain and the other does not?
qatzelok 16:42 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
@ Josh et al:
I guess that’s why tourists never go to Paris: too many protests.
Josh 16:47 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
I’m not disputing your facts, qatzelok, I’m just saying that it’s kind of ridiculous to blame the tourists who don’t want to go to Montreal for not going there. People are entitled to whatever reasons they like for visiting, or not visiting a place. Not visiting Montreal does not inherently make someone a mindless consumer drone no matter what you think.
ant6n 20:18 on 2012/06/05 Permalink
@Bill
Quebec drivers pay the lowest price per gallon among all “Northern European Welfare States ((in the worst sense of the term))”, and also the highest tuition. I don’t want to live in your country Bill, I’d rather live in one that subsidizes education rather than driving.
Kevin 11:55 on 2012/06/06 Permalink
@Hamza
Stop grasping at strawmen.
Gas taxes aren’t high enough.
Of course, I choose my mode of transportation according to how much it costs and pollutes. The market + govt rules work.
Students are currently getting subsidized by what, 80%?
@qatzelok
Protests in Paris are limited, advertised well in advance and don’t mess up tourism. I know, because I was once on the metro when striking bus workers boarded — in order to get to their protest location.
And like elsewhere, violence is not tolerated.