The annual event rejects corporate sponsorship, pinkwashing, and police involvement in Pride events.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m, a group gathered on Rue St-Hubert on the north side of Place Émilie-Gamelin. A closed circle was formed with banners, allowing a black-and-pink bloc to assemble without police intervention. Recent militant protests have seen the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) adopt a more aggressive stance before demonstrations begin, patrolling the outskirts of crowds and cutting through them in full riot gear instead of watching from a distance as they’ve done in the past.
At 9:51 p.m the march started, heading south on Rue St-Hubert. The first confrontation happened within minutes as the group tried to turn north onto Rue Sainte-Catherine Est. This would have taken them toward the heart of Montreal’s Gay Village, where last year’s event took place. Protesters clashed with police who used bikes, batons, and pepper spray to defend their skirmish line.
The group turned around and headed north on Rue St-Hubert, took a left onto Boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest, left down Rue Berri, then right onto Sainte-Catherine where they briefly marched south toward the University of Quebec (UQAM) before turning around again and heading north: completing a full lap of Place Émilie-Gamelin.
A second clash took place on the same corner as the first, with one riot cop using a 40 mm launcher on the crowd. The SPVM charged the group and pushed them back up Rue St-Hubert. Another 40 mm launcher was then shot in the direction of Place Émilie-Gamelin where a family music and dancing event was taking place. A baby and young girl were in the area at the time and appeared to be affected and distressed by whatever crowd control agent had just been used.
At 10:17 p.m, demonstrators regrouped for a few moments in the northeast corner of the square, lighting a garbage bin on fire before dispersing without further incident.
The windows of a National Bank branch were smashed at some point during the night. No arrests were made, according to corporate media reports.
