Students are threatening the Canadian GP

[netoperek]

Here, in Poland, You don't have to pay to get decent education. Actually, public universities are much, much better than the private ones. General opinion is that one pays for studies only to get an easy degree or because he/she wasn't good enough to earn a spot in public school Reading this topic, I'm even more glad things are the way they are in Poland. I guess if anyone tried to take that possibility (of free higher education) from people, with Polish temper, You would really see what a student riot looks like...

[ced381]

Interesting!

[strad]

First, the matter of the tuition hikes, which touched off this mess. The rest of the country seems to have reached the conclusion that the students are spoiled, selfish brats, who would still be paying the lowest tuition fees even if the whole of the proposed increase went through.

The first thing to say is that this is an odd conception of selfishness

Lost me right there.

[humble sabot]

And that's the problem. Skip that bit, then come back to it.

[Darknight]

I wonder if FI guys would be sprayed with Maple Syrup on their way to the circuit...

[ced381]

Nice stereotype...

[strad]

I wonder if FI guys would be sprayed with Maple Syrup on their way to the circuit...

Come on...It would be Molsons eh?

[humble sabot]

Maple Syrup is precious precious stuff, not to be wasted!

[ced381]

The "Anonymous" pirate group threatened the Canadian GP this morning. They stated that they'll publicly release credit card and personal infos from people who bought their tickets online. I'm seriously considering not buying them this year... F**k...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/34627 ... ntreal.htm

Btw Montreal isn't the "provincial capital", Quebec city is.

[bdr529]

I just want to clear a few things up
It's just called Hockey
We don't bother to write "eh", we just say it
Maple Syrup is to thick to spray like champagne
And the Beer of choice in Quebec is Labatt


As for the students, I don't mind my taxes being used to pave the way to higher education, just not in gold

[ced381]

They're going to "flood" the only subway line that goes onto Notre-Dame Island. Pretty obvious they'll block the bridges also...

Not going, ***k that. I'll sit in a pub far from the Island and drink to that...

https://www.facebook.com/events/230827713686999/

And the Beer of choice in Quebec is Labatt

Molson Ex is better. ;P

[Blue fellow]

How bad are the protests really? They seem big and loud, but peaceful. Granted there seems to be occasional police confrontation, but with protests this size that is almost to be expected. I already bought my tickets for it a long time ago along with hotel and airplane tickets.

I thought the Montreal subway system was one of the busiest in the world, can the currently 600+ people really make a dent when the Formula One race, even with the protests is expecting so many people? I consistently see 150,000 people expected to attend. I also heard that 40% of the regular ticket buyers are not buying tickets, so could this subway "flood" just make up for the less people attending? Wouldn't they need thousands and thousands to make a dent let alone stop people from getting to the race?

I am not too familiar with the groups involved but from what I can see, none of the main groups have said anything that is threatening to the Grand Prix itself, it seems they want to use the media attention surrounding the event, not actually try to cancel it or really damage it. It seems it's the more smaller extreme groups. But as I said I am not really familiar enough with the situation as I don't live in the country.

All I really care about is being at the circuit, if I can't do anything downtown or if there are less Ferrari's on the streets, then oh well.

[ced381]

This came out a few minutes ago:

Grand Prix: perturbations à prévoir
Mercredi 06 juin 2012
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


Des manifestations étudiantes pourraient venir perturber le Grand Prix de Montréal. (Photo PC)

MONTREAL - Le Grand Prix du Canada commence vendredi à Montréal dans un climat de tension: les étudiants grévistes veulent en profiter pour défendre leur cause, tandis que les pirates informatiques d'Anonymous et d'autres adversaires de la fête automobile annoncent des turbulences, dont une manifestation de personnes nues jeudi soir.

La journée portes ouvertes du Grand Prix programmée jeudi a déjà été annulée. Le président de l'événement, François Dumontier, a invoqué des risques de perturbation.

Quand les négociations entre le gouvernement et les étudiants opposés à la hausse des frais de scolarité étaient sur le point de capoter, un négociateur de la Classe, le syndicat étudiant le plus radical, a menacé d'«organiser» le Grand Prix, premier événement touristique du pays et source d'importants revenus pour les hôtels et les restaurants.

La ministre de l'Éducation Michelle Courchesne qui s'est empressée d'en tirer argument publiquement en faveur de la rupture des pourparlers.

La Classe a ensuite nuancé son propos, précisant qu'elle n'entendait pas perturber les courses, mais utiliser le GP comme une «tribune».

Mais il était trop tard. Depuis quelques semaines déjà on observait une baisse dans la fréquentation des restaurants et des commerces dans le centre de Montréal, parcouru quotidiennement par des manifestations, émaillées parfois de violences, actes de vandalisme et arrestations massives.

À deux jours du début des courses, le site du Grand Prix offrait un grand choix de billets disponibles. Il n'a pas été possible d'obtenir auprès des organisateurs une comparaison avec l'édition précédente.

Deux organisations se proposent de perturber le Grand Prix. L'Afea, l'Association facultaire des étudiants en arts de l'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), a appelé à une manifestation de personnes nues jeudi soir dans le centre de Montréal.

Un porte-parole de l'Afea, interrogé par l'AFP et voulant garder l'anonymat, a indiqué que cette protestation annoncée il y a plusieurs semaines visait d'abord la hausse des frais de scolarité.

«Naïvement, nous pensions que la pression forcerait le gouvernement au dialogue», mais voyant la «fausse négociation» pratiquée par ce dernier, puis la loi spéciale limitant les manifestations, "nous avons décidé de passer à l'action», explique-t-il.

L'étudiant n'est pas tendre avec le Grand Prix, un événement «grossier et indécent», qui, selon lui, reflète «la décadence du néolibéralisme», fait la promotion de «valeurs conservatrices», «ne représente pas le Québec ni sa jeunesse» et profite aux élites économiques, alors que la population du Québec »ne reçoit pratiquement rien».

«Nous sommes en colère», reconnaît-il, tout en déclarant ne pas vouloir nuire à la sécurité du public.

Le mouvement CLAC (Convergence des luttes anticapitalistes) ne prend pas ces précautions oratoires, invitant, sur le site internet de la Classe, à perturber le cocktail d'ouverture du Grand Prix jeudi après-midi. Il dénonce «le cadeau de 15 millions de dollars» fait par le Québec au «milliardaire Bernie Ecclestone» et joue la simplicité avec son slogan: «--- le Grand Prix».

Samedi, des féministes radicales se proposent de manifester à l'hôtel Sheraton pour dénoncer la prostitution, qui est un «viol monnayé à répétition» et "l'exploitation sexuelle commerciale" de la femme, très intensive à l'occasion des grands événements sportifs, dont notamment le Grand Prix, selon elles.

Une menace plus inquiétante est venue fin mai de la branche québécoise du collectif de pirates informatiques Anonymous. Déclarant vouloir répéter une opération similaire lors du Grand Prix organisé au Bahrein, Anonymous se dit prêt à semer le chaos sur les serveurs du GP, pour appuyer la cause des étudiants.

Approximative translation: The students want to use the GP media coverage. Anonymous wants to f*** up the Internet side of the GP. Still lots of tickets available (sold less than previous year? they won't tell). Afea (art group at UQAM) will disturb the GP. CLAC (anti-capitalism group) invites people to disturb the openning coktail on Thursday night. Feminists will protest at the Sheraton hotel against prostitution during GP weekends.

Nothing new really...

[hecti]

Hey guys, I live in montreal and I have tickets and I also go to school at mcgill for mechnical engineering. The people that will be "protesting" the race will be more extreme groups than the tution hike protesters. The tuition hike protestes have caused other more extreme movements to increase their visibility.
Personally I am very fed up with all of these protests and protesters. Their points may be valid but their actions have upset the government and most everyone in the province. Their disruptions to society on a daily basis are putting them in a bad place in the eyes of the government and of the people.

I will be heading to the track earlier than any of the previous years in order to skip the potential problems of commuting later in the morning.

If you encounter trouble in the city, try and work your way around it peacefully, if the more extreme protesters get in your way on the way to the track or other events, be polite and try not to provoke them, the police are sick and tired of them so any unnecessary tension would not be a good idea.

This site ( http://manifencours.diametrick.com/ ) has the routes of some protests as they are happening (real time)

there are some twitter feeds that are constantly updating all the action.

***One last note:
The people wearing red squares are the anti tuition hike supporters. HOWEVER!! Many of them also support the many other more extreme movements in montreal right now, so just because a group of protesters are wearing red squares doesnt mean that they are anti tuition/ peaceful protests

[strad]

No Montreal Sell out Amid F1 Disruption Threats:
Threats to disrupt this weekend's Canadian GP will affect attendance, promoter Francois Dumontier has revealed. "They said they wanted to disrupt the Grand Prix," Dumontier said, referring to protesting students and internet terrorists. "They already have," he told the Montreal Gazette. He said ticket sales began to decline precisely when the threats became international news. Organizers have already cancelled the traditional 'open day' on Thursday, which traditionally involves free-of-charge access for spectators including the F1 pitlane. "I can't remember the last time we didn't sell out. It's been that long,"

NO Sell Out? Does that mean our Canadian friends will be looking at a TV blackout?
If so these spoiled kids will deserve the negative backlash I suspect they will and I think they should face.