The history of student protests here
CBC looks back over the history of student protests in Montreal but the article doesn’t mention the big McGill Français demo in 1969. Unlike the celebrated Sir George computer incident a few months earlier, McGill Français doesn’t seem to be considered an early salvo in a social justice struggle, and I only ever heard about it from an older friend who’d been involved in it.
GC 09:04 on 2024-05-04 Permalink
Thanks for that. I’ve heard of the Sir George one, but not the McGill one. My mother would have been a student at Sir George, at the time.
I guess Legault would have only been twelve, so probably not involved. He had to wait until he was Premier to attack McGill.
H. John 11:20 on 2024-05-04 Permalink
It also skips the Loyola College protests of the fall of 1969 and early winter of 1970 sparked by “the administration firing 27 Loyola professors.” Jan. 12, 1970 150 members of the riot squad cleared 400 student and faculty protestors from three floors of the Administration Building.
Kate 13:29 on 2024-05-04 Permalink
Do you have a link about that, H. John?
SMD 15:25 on 2024-05-04 Permalink
Here’s a handy template letter for when McGill needs to justify calling in the cops: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-message-from-the-chancellor-on-the-recent-student-protest.
Kate 20:56 on 2024-05-04 Permalink
Excellent piece, SMD. Thank you.