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Police in Montreal had said the unsanctioned protest would betolerated if there was no trouble but after some unruly behavioraround midnight they moved in and arrested 518 demonstrators.Another 170 people were detained in Quebec. All were issued with a more-than $600 fine and released on Thursdaymorning, the police spokesman said. Several thousand demonstrators had poured into Montreal's centralsquare late Wednesday for the rally, defying a law passed last weekrequiring organizers to notify authorities eight hours ahead ofpublic demonstrations. Of those arrested in Montreal, 506 were held for unlawful assemblybut among the other 12 detentions one person was held for "armedaggression," two others for assaulting police, and one more wasdetained for wearing a mask. Protesters said they were handcuffed and their arms held behindtheir back, local media reported. Demonstrations have raged in Montreal since mid-February over aplan by provincial Premier Jean Charest and his Liberal Party toraise tuition fees at Quebec universities by 82 percent, or $1,700,over five years in order to rein in a budget deficit. Some of the demonstrations have turned violent, with store frontssmashed. The conflict escalated on Sunday with more than 300 overnightarrests after the passing of the controversial new law governingdemonstrations. Bill 78 prohibits freedom of assembly anywhere in the francophoneprovince without prior police approval and requires protesters togive the authorities eight hours' notice before an event and followa planned route. Rather than quelling the unrest, it appears to have made thingsworse for the embattled premier. The crisis has already felled one cabinet member, educationminister Line Beauchamp, who said she was quitting politicsaltogether because she had "lost confidence in the goodwill ofstudent leaders." Tens of thousands of demonstrators ignored their official itineraryon Tuesday as they took to the streets of Montreal to mark the100th day of the movement. "People are backing the students because Charest went too far,"said Jacques Hamel, a sociology professor at the University ofMontreal. "It's a threat to fundamental rights, freedom ofexpression, freedom of association." After nine years in power, Charest hoped an initially popular hikein fees might boost his dismal poll numbers, but months of buildingprotests coupled with disapproval for the new law appear to havehad the opposite effect. A poll released on Tuesday by the Journal de Montreal found an 18percent shift in favor of the students, compared to a poll taken 10days previously. The QMI/Leger Marketing survey still showed the students trailingthe government by eight points on the central question of whorespondents supported, but the momentum has clearly turned. Some 53 percent of respondents agreed that Bill 78 went "too far,"while 32 percent judged it to be fair and eight percent believed itdidn't go far enough. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Led Commercial Lighting Fixtures , China Led Keychain Lights for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Led Miners Cap Lamp.
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