Well It seems that Montrealers are at it again. After the Game 7 win against the Boston Bruins, the downtown core was once again littered with burning cars and looting from businesses.
There are questions that need answers. Such as:
1. Where these rioters even at the Hockey Game?
2. Do these rioters have any class or respect?
3. Why do they feel the need for destruction when most other people in Montreal and every other major NHL city celebrate in a different way?
Once again it shows what scum we have hanging around in the downtown core at night ! Police should tighten the reigns even more.
That is the end of my rant, but here are some more illustrious examples of Riots in Montreal:
1840s Montreal Rioting
The Montréal Riots, the most spectacular moment of which was the burning of the Parliament building on 25 April 1849, occurred during a serious economic and political crisis in the Province of Canada. After 1848 the Reformers had formed the government; relegated to the Opposition, the Tories, who were largely Anglophones and supported British rule and economic links with Britain, felt threatened by the French Canadian influence in government. Resentment was felt most keenly in Montréal, the capital city, where the population was half English speaking, half French speaking.
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In February and March 1849 when the LAFONTAINE-BALDWIN ministry passed the REBELLION LOSSES BILL, the opposition violently denounced the Act. On April 25, at the Tories’ instigation, crowds of protesters opposed Governor General Lord ELGIN’s sanction of this law; they threw stones and rotten eggs at his carriage. That evening, public protest turned into a riot: the mob invaded Parliament and set fire to the building. The riots involved thousands of people, lasted 2 days and included attacks on the private property of several Reform leaders, including LaFontaine and HINCKS. But Lord Elgin’s endorsement of the majority decision in Parliament – in effect an affirmation of RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT – won the approval of most of the people and of the British government. Less than a month after the riots, however, it was decided that the seat of government should no longer be Montréal, which was considered too susceptible to ethnic tensions. Author JEAN-PAUL BERNARD
1992 Riot
A sold-out heavy-metal concert in Montreal starring Guns ‘n’ Roses and Metallica turned into a riot on Saturday after W. Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns ‘n’ Roses, called his band off the stage 55 minutes into the show, complaining of voice problems.
Earlier in the concert, which was at Olympic Stadium, Metallica cut short its performance after James Hetfield, its lead singer, suffered second-degree burns to his face, arms and hands when a stage prop exploded. He was taken to Montreal General Hospital and released that night, a hospital spokesman said.
The Montreal police said rioters among the 53,000 audience members smashed stadium windows with an uprooted street lamp, looted a souvenir boutique, burned a sports car and Guns ‘n’ Roses T-shirts and set dozens of small fires. About 300 club-wielding police officers chased rioters through the streets and fired tear gas to regain control. The police sealed off the area and shut down four nearby subway stations to prevent the riot from spreading to the transit system.
A Sunday concert in Toronto was postponed because of Mr. Hetfield’s injuries. Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica and a third band, Faith No More, are on a 24-city tour.
A spokesman for Geffen Records, the label for Guns ‘n’ Roses, said Mr. Rose’s vocal problems had led the band to postpone several performance dates before Montreal, including those in Minneapolis, Boston and Columbia, S.C.
2003 Exploited Concert Riot
Yesterday’s Riots
Rioters run amok in Montreal after playoff victory
16 arrested after post-game melee
| Bradley Bouzane |
| Canwest News Service |
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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The Montreal Canadiens are still 12 wins away from the Stanley Cup, but many fans lashed out in a big way Monday night.
Hordes of rioting fans set fire to police cars, smashed store windows and looted local businesses following the Canadiens’ Game 7 playoff win over the Boston Bruins.
Police arrested 16 people, who face a number of charges – including breaking and entering a business, armed assault on a police officer, mischief on a police vehicle, assault and various bylaw infractions.
Two 17-year-old males and another 14-year-old boy are among those arrested by police.
“After the Canadiens won their game, people started attacking private businesses, attacking police officers and throwing rocks or any objects they could find at police cars,” said Montreal Police Const. Laurent Gingras.
“Officers had to call for backup from the riot squad and from other parts of the city and control was taken back at about 2 a.m. this morning.”
Gingras said 16 police vehicles were badly damaged and had to be towed away. As many as six of those vehicles were torched by rioters. A number of private vehicles were also damaged Monday night.
Police review of video footage from the scene may result in additional arrests, Gingras said, adding that is was not known whether the arrested individuals were even at the game.
After the situation had returned to normal, a number of police patrols remained on duty in the area.
The amount of damage to vehicles and businesses is not currently known, Gingras said, adding that it may take some time before the total is determined.
One female police officer was injured in the fracas, but returned to duty before the end of her shift.
The game ended about 10 p.m., and after street celebrations in the city’s downtown began to settle down about an hour later, individual groups began causing problems.
The Montreal riot squad was put into action to quell the violence, but they were already on hand with other police units in anticipation of an anxious crowd after the game.
Now, with the Canadiens set to enter the second round of the playoffs, Gingras said tactical adjustments may be necessary.
“Our investigators are going analyze what happened here and see if we need to change our strategy for the next couple of games,” Gingras said.
“Before, during and after each game at the Bell Centre, we have police officers present and usually things go pretty well. We had a higher number of officers (Monday), but some people decided to start their mischief after the game anyway.”
The Canadiens wrapped up their best-of-seven quarter-final series against the Bruins with a 5-0 victory before a sell-out crowd at the Bell Centre.
The team now advances to the Eastern Conference semi-finals against either the New York Rangers or Philadelphia Flyers on its quest to win its 25th Stanley Cup.
When the team won its last championship, in 1993, rioters also took to the streets in a violent outburst that resulted in widespread damages.
