Thousands of people marched in protest against Quebec’s COVID-19 lockdown measures in Montreal on Saturday, chanting “liberté” alongside heavy police presence.
Authorities say several arrests were made and several tickets were issued to demonstrators for not respecting the provincial sanitary measures like mask-wearing and distancing.
READ MORE: Quebec reports 789 new cases of COVID-19, 11 more deaths
The protest, called the “March of the Rebellious” by its organizers, began at Premier François Legault’s downtown Montreal office, where the 8.4 km march also ended.
The protest’s social media page said organizers asked that people who attend respect sanitary measures like mask-wearing, and that if people are against mask regulations, that they wear one regardless and tape a red X on it to show their stance.
The protest asked that the Quebec government end its provincewide state of health emergency, end the curfew, that the government — which is not enforcing vaccinations — “allow people to make informed decisions about vaccines,” and that the “mainstream media present fair and respectful media coverage.”
The demonstration is also asking that the Legault government back all its COVID-19 health regulations with public scientific reports that justify its decision-making.
This comes as Quebec marks one year since the beginning of the lockdown measures. The province reported 789 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and 11 additional virus-related deaths.