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Hundreds defy Montreal's 8 p.m. curfew in destructive protest

Hundreds of protestors gathered in Montreal Sunday in defiance of a newly adjusted curfew aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 cases before dozens of them smashed windows, lit fires and damaged property in the city's old quarter.

The protest began in relative calm, with a mostly young crowd dancing to music from loudspeakers while lighting fireworks and chanting, "freedom for the young."

But the festive atmosphere turned violent as a few protesters lit a garbage fire in Montreal's Jacques Cartier Square, which was met with tear gas from riot police. Some also seized projectiles from city streets, hurling them at nearby windows and shattering many.

Police soon rushed the crowd, prompting dozens of protesters to scatter and cause mayhem down the cobblestone streets of Montreal's tourist district.

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Many of the demonstrators were not wearing masks.

WATCH | Hundreds protest COVID-19 curfew in Montreal

Legault said last week that he was rolling back the curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Montreal and Laval despite a relatively stable case count as a precaution, due to the heavy presence of more contagious virus variants.

The government previously placed Quebec City, Lévis, Gatineau and several municipalities in Quebec's Beauce region — all of which had seen sudden spikes in cases — under the earlier curfew.

Some protesters interviewed by Radio-Canada questioned the government's logic behind advancing the curfew. Some claimed that Quebec is exaggerating the severity of the pandemic, while others said there was no scientific justification for the curfew.

Minister says health system strained

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé told Radio-Canada he believes the protesters represent a tiny part of the population.

"We see it in the polls, people continue to listen, people continue to be aware of what we are going through," he said, citing the ongoing strain affecting the province's health-care system.

A curfew was first imposed across Quebec on January 9. It required Quebecers across the province to be in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless they had a valid reason to be out.

The curfew was later moved back to 9:30 p.m. in some regions, including Montreal, and lifted altogether in some of Quebec's more remote regions.

The crowd of mainly young people danced to music from loudspeakers, lit fireworks and chanted
The crowd of mainly young people danced to music from loudspeakers, lit fireworks and chanted "freedom for the young."(Giuseppe Valiante/The Canadian Press)