MONTREAL — Hundreds of people gathered in Old Montréal tonight in defiance of a new 8 p.m. curfew.
The curfew had been at 9:30 p.m. but Quebec's premier advanced it as a preventive measure because COVID-19 cases had risen sharply over the past week.
The mostly young crowd danced to music from loudspeakers, lit fireworks and chanted, "freedom for the young."
But the festive atmosphere quickly turned violent as a few protesters lit a garbage fire in Montreal's Jacques Cartier Square, which was met with tear gas from riot police.
Soon after police rushed the crowd, dozens of protesters scattered to create mayhem down the cobblestone streets of Montreal’s tourist district.
Garbage fires were lit at many intersections and protesters picked up what they could find on the street and threw it at store windows, shattering many.
Around 9:30 p.m., a few protesters were still out, throwing glass and breaking city infrastructure and running from police.
Sirens rang through the streets as firefighters put out the many small blazes lit along Old Montréal’s alleys and narrow streets.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021
The Canadian Press