About 200 people demonstrated in defense of the French language on Saturday afternoon, fearing the state will wither in Montreal.
Posted at 12:16 p.m
Lea Carrier The Press
The demonstration started in the afternoon on Dorchester Square in Montreal. The participants marched through the streets of the city center to denounce the “permanent Anglicization” of the metropolis.
“There are more and more shops in Montreal where people show up and they’re told, ‘No, sorry, I don’t speak French,'” laments Sylvain Lévesque. “What can you do in such conditions but fight or live in the regions and have Montreal Anglicized? ‘ he starts jokingly.
Fleur de lis flags waved above the crowd in a wind that suddenly rose as the storm approached.
As Bill 96 is debated, Raphaël Guérard deplores the stance of certain politicians who would seek to divide Quebec by defending French. “The Liberal Party of Quebec and the Liberal Party of Canada are polarizing for [gagner] the electorate,” believes the activist from the Bloc Québécois Youth Forum.
“I think it’s important to defend the legitimacy of Bill 96. After that we can discuss the details in peace,” he said.
The demonstration killed two birds with one stone by highlighting the National Patriots Day long weekend, which “really contributed to French fact and the freedom of francophones across Quebec,” recalled Vincent Frappier, a protester.