By Canadian Press

Anti-racism, anti-police brutality march to be held in downtown Montreal

Jun 7, 2020 | 9:27 AM

Montreal will play host to an anti-racism rally today as marches and events are planned for a few other cities in the province.

Demonstrators will gather at a large square in downtown Montreal with a march set to begin before noon.

It’s the second Sunday in a row that a rally has been held since the release of a video showing a white Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of a black man, George Floyd, for nearly nine minutes.

Floyd fell still and died, the officer’s knee still on him.

His death has sparked demonstrations denouncing racist violence and police impunity right across the globe.

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Events were held Saturday in several Canadian cities including Toronto, St. John’s and London, Ont.

Demonstrations are also planned today in front of the Quebec national assembly building in the provincial capital as well as in Sherbrooke, east of Montreal.

Montreal’s police chief Sylvain Caron had an offer to attend the Sunday rally rescinded on Saturday after organizers explained some participants and groups were opposed to his presence.

The force said on its social media page it respected the decision and noted officers would be present to keep tabs on the march.

Police praised the “order and respect” demonstrated by thousands who previously marched to express their indignation over Floyd’s death.

But on Ste-Catherine Street in the city’s downtown core, many merchants have boarded up their windows as a preventative measure.

Following the peaceful rally one week ago, looters and vandals got into confrontations with police, with thefts and damage including some store windows smashed.

Montreal police have said they considered the vandalism last week a separate matter by people who took advantage of the protest to commit crimes.

On Saturday, they published the photos of people caught on store cameras in the midst of the looting in an effort to make arrests.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2020.

The Canadian Press