In a strange twist of ironic fate it appears as though it’s illegal to protest the Canadian government without get approval first:
Those arrested were released on Thursday and issued with fines of more than C$600 (£370), AFP news agency reports.
Authorities invoked Bill 78, which requires eight hours’ notification before public demonstrations.
Bill 78, passed last Friday, requires marches to follow pre-approved routes, but protesters say it infringes their democratic rights, and have pledged to legally contest it.
Since the passing of the public assembly law, more than 300 people were arrested overnight at a protest in Montreal last Sunday and another 100 were detained in the city on Tuesday.
Maybe I’m missing something but isn’t the whole point of protesting to oppose an action or actions by the state? Was the Canadian government trying to be ironic by passing a law that requires you ask the state for permission in order to air grievances with the state? Is the Canadian government full of fixie-loving hipsters?
This does show that the United States doesn’t have a monopoly on police state behavior, even our supposedly polite neighbors to the north have a little police state going.