Hundreds of students protested outside the Palais des Congres. The Quebec Liberal premier Jean Charest was speaking at a symposium on northern development.
Charest's keynote address was delayed when protesters accessed the building and confronted police guarding the meeting. There were injuries to two protesters and two officers and 10 arrests.
Protests have been ongoing for some time sometimes accompanied by violence. Ministers in the government have been threatened. Police used batons, chemical irritants to push students back but eventually resorted to tear gas and concussion grenades.
Demonstrations have been ongoing almost daily. Students have been boycotting classes for almost two months now. Over the next five years the government intends to raise fees by 1625 dollars. Fees in Quebec are at present the lowest in Canada. However, compared to some European countries such as Finland where university education is free they are still high. For more see this article.
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