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The toons are in town P. 12
Strong opening act for Stingers P. 17
30,000 flood the streets
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011
Full coverage P. 4-5
life The orgasm that never came P. 10
music Tonstartssbandht brings bromance to a new level P. 16
opinions Gay pro athletes need to follow Testo’s example P. 22
Volume 29 Issue 12
Photo by Navneet Pall
Thousands of Concordia students rally for day of action “What do we want? Tuition freeze! When do we want it? Now!” Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo and Sarah Deshaies News editor and Chief copy editor Despite having to skip class and brave the wind and rain, thousands of Concordia students turned out to march in solidarity with Montreal CÉGEP and university students on Thursday’s day of action in protest against tuition fee hikes. At several institutions, like Dawson College, students blockaded the entrances to keep others from attending classes. The Dawson Student Union managed to arrange an 11th hour agreement with the CÉGEP administration to cancel classes. At Concordia, students who chose not to protest were not barred from classes. Those who did want to protest gathered outside at Reggie’s on Mackay Street throughout the morning, and at Loyola, in activities planned by the Concordia Student Union. After leaving the Reggie’s terrace
shortly after 1 p.m., the body of students, armed with placards, banners, and a palpable level of excitement, inched its way along Ste-Catherine Street towards Place Émilie-Gamelin to join forces with tens of thousands of students frustrated with their government’s decision to raise tuition by $325 a year for the next five years. While CSU president Lex Gill said they didn’t have a crowd estimate for Concordia—the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec estimated the entire protest drew around 30,000 people—she said they had far surpassed the 920-people capacity of the Reggie’s terrace. “I think what really blew me away was being at Ste-Catherine Street and de la Montaigne Street and getting a phone call saying the last bit of people were just leaving Concordia,” Gill said.
See ‘Thursday’ on P. 4
McGill student protesters forced off campus Demonstrators were subjected to tear gas, pepper spray Jessica Lukawiecki and Erin Hudson The McGill Daily (CUP) — Over 100 riot police stormed McGill campus on the evening of the Nov. 10 tuition fee protests, forcefully dispersing student demonstrators that had gathered in front of the James Administration building. Pepper spray, tear gas and physical force were used by police against demonstrators who were protesting the detainment and violence allegedly used by McGill Security against a group of McGill students who had occupied principal Heather MunroeBlum’s office earlier in the day. Fourteen McGill students claim to have been assaulted by McGill Security while they occupied the fifth floor of the James Admin for almost two hours on Thursday afternoon. The sit-in coincided with a 30,000 person-strong demonstration against tuition hikes in the province.
At 4:05 p.m., a group of approximately 50 students entered McGill campus after news of the occupation in the James Admin building reached the demonstrators. Farid Attar Rifai, president of the Association of McGill University Support Employees, was one of the first people on the scene. “I saw security … were rushing towards the James building, so I knew [the students] were already inside at that point,” Attar Rifai said. He explained that, upon his arrival, all entrances to the building were locked, and security guards were positioned outside. Some of the demonstrators took a megaphone back to the Roddick Gates, where they encouraged others to join them.
See ‘Why’ on P. 2
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