October 23 Montréal Two thousand […]

When

1977-10-23

Description

October 23 Montréal Two thousand people demonstrated in downtown Montréal to protest the police raid on the Truxx and Mystique bars. The riot-like protest blocked one of the main intersections in downtown Montréal (at Stanley and St. Catherine Streets) and was the largest and most militant gay demonstration held in Canada to that time. The spontaneous protest was organized in less than six hours by ADGQ, by distributing 4,000 leaflets in all gay bars and clubs in the city. Policemen on motorcycles (with sidecars) attacked the crowd, attempting to clear the street by driving into the crowd at high speeds. Several demonstrators were run down, others were hit in indiscriminate billy-club attacks. The demonstrators retaliated by throwing bottles and glasses at the passing motorcycles and policemen, and by singing and dancing in the streets. The demonstrations were widely covered in local radio, television, and print media. In the weeks following the raid, police continued to intimidate the gay community by entering other clubs and discos, including Le Jardin, Lime Light, the Lincoln, and the Truxx bar again.

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