Montreal anti-Trump demonstration ends in vandalism
Four windows were smashed and another eight painted with graffiti in downtown Montreal Friday evening as an anti-Donald Trump demonstration was coming to an end.
The vandalism happened about an hour and a half after the event kicked off.
At 6 p.m., more than 100 people gathered in Phillips Square to take part in the second protest of the day after Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.
The evening protest, entitled "Anti-Trump Night Demo: Make Racists Afraid Again!" was organized by the Anti-Racist Resistance Collective of Montreal and the Resist Trump Network.
The rally itself was peaceful until 7:30 p.m. when the crowd began to disperse.
That's when property was vandalized. The window of police Station 20, located on Ste-Catherine Street near Bishop Street, was smashed.
Near the same intersection, two storefront windows of an American Apparel store were also shattered.
Police said that protesters damaged an additional eight windows with graffiti. The window of a car parked on the street was also damaged.
No arrests were made.
Dozens gather at morning protest
Another protest was held this morning, just moments before Trump's inauguration.
Several dozen protesters gathered at a demonstration called "Resist Trump!" to show their anger about his inauguration. The group assembled in the Quartier des Spectacles and marched through downtown streets.
Some burned an American flag in front of the U.S. Consulate on René-Lévesque Boulevard before moving inside Complexe Desjardins, where the crowd dispersed.
Sarah Del Seronde, from Arizona, was marching with her son.
"[Trump] doesn't have values that I would want my son to learn. As an individual, he has very little respect for people who are not like him, and I think he will be awful," she said.
Avoid Saturday's march, U.S. consulate warns Americans
Another demonstration is planned for tomorrow. The Montreal Women's March is set to take place at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Place des Arts Esplanade.
It's part of a movement that will see 300 other protests held in the U.S. and other countries in response to Trump's election.
The United States Consulate in Montreal is telling American citizens to avoid it.
In a message posted to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada website on Thursday, the consulate in Montreal warns that "even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence."
Joan Sinclair, public affairs officer with the U.S. Consulate General Montreal, said the post is simply an informational message, not a warning, and it speaks for itself.
Montreal police said they knew of the consulate's message.
"We're aware of the situation," said Montreal police Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant. "We have officers who will be on site."
