As protests begin, Quebec City mayor urges visitors to attend Winter Carnival
CBC
Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand is reassuring residents and visitors to the annual Carnaval de Québec that the city will be safe during weekend protests calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions.
"It will be secure to be in Quebec City this weekend. It will be a very nice weekend to be here," Marchand said. He said so far protesters have been "totally respectful."
The first demonstrators, travelling mostly in smaller vehicles but with some in large trucks, arrived Thursday night in the area around the National Assembly.
In a Facebook video posted Friday, two organizers, Kevin Grenier and Bernard Gauthier, called for people to gather in front of the assembly at 5 p.m., just as the city's winter festival gets underway in the same area.
While Grenier said the atmosphere would be "friendly" and "a party" during the carnival, he said protesters will "use another tone" if Premier François Legault does not heed their demands.
The largest protest is expected Saturday, with more groups arriving from other parts of the province, including a convoy from the Beauce region.
Marchand says everyone has a right to demonstrate but asked protesters to remain civil.
"It's only the beginning, but I think most of them understand that if you have a cause and you want that cause to be understood, you need to be respectful," he said.
"Is honking for hours respectful? The answer is no. Is it tolerable? The answer is no. There are regulations against this. The police will be able to apply them."
Quebec City police said they had given out 14 tickets by the end of Thursday night, for violations of municipal regulations or road safety laws.
Police allowed trucks to park in one lane along René-Lévesque Boulevard but made the bulk of vehicles circulate, rather than allowing them to block traffic.
"It's a compromise. We left them space because [the trucks] are a symbol that's important to them," he said.
Some streets are also closed to vehicle traffic because of the carnival. Honoré-Mercier Avenue is for pedestrians only, between Grande Allée and René-Lévesque boulevards, as is Grande Allée between de Claire-Fontaine Street and Honoré-Mercier Boulevard.
WATCH | Legault and Marchand weigh in on protests planned for start of winter carnival:
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