Montreal looters – Thousands of peaceful demonstrators took the streets of Montreal on Sunday evening May 31st in solidarity with those in the United States – protesting racism and police violence after George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis on May 25th. He had already been handcuffed when the officer pinned him down with his knee, ignoring his repeated pleas that he was not able to breathe. It was all caught on camera and the officer has since been charged with murder.
The demonstration in Montreal began near the St. Urbain street police headquarters at 5:00pm and ended at around 7:30pm. Soon after, Montreal looters began breaking the windows of stores and businesses. They were throwing rocks, vandalizing construction sites and others even started fires. The police finally had to use tear gas to disperse them. The STM had to shut down service for an hour on part of the Metro’s green line near the area.
Steve’s Music store located on Sainte-Catherine St. East was looted. Windows were smashed and people, mostly dressed in black and hooded, can be seen in pictures and video footage, entering and then leaving the store with guitars and other equipment. A restaurant and other shops in the area were also broken into.
So far, 11 arrests have been made and investigations continue as police look into other stores that were vandalized.
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