Education Is A Right

iNewp reports about 60,000 Quebec students demonstrating in Montreal, Thursday Nov. 22nd, and demanding free university educations for all.  

Following the students' impressive victory in obtaining a tuition hike rollback, Higher Education Minister Pierre Duchesne will reportedly be hosting a roundtable commission on financing Quebec universities, hailed as an "exciting development."

At the same time, news of university spending scandals are emerging, and while students at post-secondary college CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal voted by a 2/3rds majority to strike again - and in response to hundreds of charges against student strikers for various acts of civil disobedience during the massive walk-outs.

Among students charged (and now, also convicted) is a chief strike architect and the inspiring student leader Gabriel Nadeau-DuBois - for advocating "anarchy," encouraging "civil disobedience," and having “knowingly incited […] disobedience of the orders of the Court, including those of judge Jean-François Émond of May 2, 2012, thus committing a contempt of court.”  He could be sentenced to a year in prison and a fine of $50,000.  According to Life On The Left, it is the first time in history that a student leader has been convicted of contempt of court.

Mr. Nadeau-DuBois is appealing the court's decision.  In the video below, from 3 weeks prior, he responds to reporters in French and then English.  Via Life On The Left, a website called appelatous.org has been established to raise money for his defense, and at the time of this posting, reflects $103,000 dollars in donations.




Occupy Wall Street reports that student activists CLASSE have reformed their organization as the ASSÉ, "Association for a Solidaric Student Union." 

Video footage here of the Thursday march in Montreal from Global Montreal.


11/28/12 Editor's Note.  About 60,000 voted to strike, and an estimated 5,000 marched in Montreal.