MONTREAL – One of Canada’s biggest tourism events is girding for a weekend of potential disruption, amid warnings of multiple protests and of a plan to jam the Montreal subway system during the four-day Formula One Grand Prix.
Protesters, some of them opposed to tuition hikes and others opposed more generally to the practices of global capitalism, hope to thwart the car race and related parties that attract droves of big-spending jet-set tourists.
A cocktail party opening the event on Thursday is being targeted by one hardcore protest group, which invited people to “disrupt” the event. Other demonstrations, including one where the marchers are clad only in their underwear, have also been announced.
The cocktail party has attracted about 900 guests in its previous two editions. Among those attending this year will be F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and Michael Fortier, his co-president for the event who is also a businessman and former cabinet minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet.
Drivers and team owners are also on the guest list.
CLAC, an anti-capitalist group, has promised to be “more numerous than ever before” around Crescent Street in Montreal’s downtown, which is traditionally the most active bar and restaurant strip during the week of events leading up to Sunday’s race.
It has also encouraged people to pack the subway line that leads to the small island where the race track is located, in an attempt to slow down the transit system. The subway is usually the easiest way for most race enthusiasts to travel.
Grand Prix officials have already cancelled one event, an open house that is held during every Grand Prix that allows the public to visit the pit area to see the cars and chat with some of the drivers and mechanics.
Montreal police, who have maintained a heavy presence during more than a month of nighttime demonstrations, swooped in for a series of raids early Thursday, arresting a number of people they allege were involved in disruptions at recent protests.
Among those arrested was Yalda Machouf-Khadir, the 19-year-old daughter of Amir Khadir, the sole member of the left-leaning Quebec solidaire party in the legislature. It was unclear what charges she might face.
Premier Jean Charest made an appeal for calm in Quebec City on Thursday that seemed to carry a hint of warning.
“When you attack the Grand Prix, you’re not attacking the Government of Quebec but all Quebecers,” he said.
The Grand Prix regularly brings in 300,000 people over the course of the event, with 100,000 of those in the stands for race day. Practices and qualifying races fill the preceding two days in the schedule.
The event is considered the city’s most lucrative by the Montreal business community, bringing a regular windfall of $75 million to $90 million during the week.
Drivers at a pre-race news conference on Thursday extolled the virtues of the Montreal Grand Prix and said they hoped things would go smoothy.
They said they were disappointed that the open house had been shelved.
“Some of the students are not happy about certain things,” said Mark Webber, an Australian driver with the Red Bull Racing team. “I’m not saying it’s a minority but, sometimes, when there’s a little bit of tension other people may lose out, like some fans who wanted to come and see the track today so that’s really unfortunate.
“I’m sure the weekend will go well.”
Felipe Massa, a Brazilian driving for Ferrari, said he’d like to see the students at the race, but as fans.
“We want to see all the fans, all the young people, the students,” he said. “We want to see them here with us, enjoying the sport.”
Montreal’s business community has been increasingly nervous about disruptions during the Grand Prix.
Appeals have been made by Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and the heads of some of the city’s summer festivals to the students to not perturb the events – but some student protesters have been firm in saying that they will keep demonstrating until a resolution is reached in the tuition dispute.
Aside from the tuition hikes, a main issue for the demonstrators is Bill 78, which placed restrictions on demonstrations.
Negotiations to resolve the tuition fee dispute have stalled. The Charest government has insisted it would not back down on a plan to hike tuition fees about 80 per cent – or $254 a year over seven years.
That would eventually boost the fees to about $3,800 a year.
The government later offered to spread the total hikes over seven years to $1,778, compensated with cuts to other fees. That would work out to an increase of about $254 a year.
While the proposed hikes would still leave Quebec with some of the lowest rates in the country, the issue has flared into a clash of ideologies. The students have called for a tuition freeze but the government has flatly rejected any idea of that.
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