30 Years of resistance in Montreal
Last week, 250 people marched in an annual demonstration. It was peaceful, despite trends of escalating violence on the part of Quebec police.
In the afternoon of March 15, 2026, upwards of 250 demonstrators gathered at the headquarters of the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) in Longueuil, Quebec.
The march was originally organized in 1997 by the Collectif Opposé à la Brutalité Policière. It has taken place every year since. Incidents of police brutality, including mass arrests, pepper spray, tear gas and beatings, have been a common feature of the annual event.
In 2025, the service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) attacked the peaceful demonstration with a range of chemical weapons and beatings.
The police justified dispersing the demonstration by claiming demonstrators shot “fireworks and projectiles” after demonstrators shot a couple rounds of roman candles into the air.
This year’s iteration was held outside of the headquarters of the BEI in Longueuil on the South Shore of Montreal. The choice of location was steeped in significance. Both the BEI and Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil (SPAL) have been under intense public scrutiny and outrage following the shooting and killing of an unarmed child, Nooran Rezayi in September 2025 by an SPAL officer. The BEI’s report on the killing was submitted on March 11, 2026. Their findings, as always, were not made public.
