Five years later, activists divided over legacy of Quebec 2012 student protests
MONTREAL — Five years after seas of angry students took to Montreal streets to protest planned university tuition-fee hikes, activists remain divided over the legacy of the so-called “Maple Spring.”
For several months, images of blockaded government offices, clashes between demonstrators and police, and the ubiquitous red square that came to symbolize the protest movement made headlines around the world.
At issue was the provincial Liberal government’s plan to nearly double tuition fees over five years to $3,800 per year, which, it said, would still leave the province with some of the lowest fees in Canada.
Reacting angrily, tens of thousands of students voted to strike and walked out of their classes.