Former CLASSE
(Coalition large de l’ASSÉ) speaker Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois was found guilty last
Friday on accusations of encouraging students to break injunctions, the judge
claiming he was endorsing anarchy. The issue- this is not quite the whole
story.
The person who filed
the lawsuit against Nadeau-Dubois is Université de Laval art student Jean-Francois
Morasse, whose injunction was violated last spring in attempt to attend his
courses. He claims he filed a case because he received threats from some
who opposed him. Morasse has reportedly dropped out of school since.
Nadeau-Dubois’ lawyer
did not allow him to speak at his own hearing earlier this fall, saying it
shouldn’t be necessary, as there is no evidence against him.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (CLASSE)
One flaw that is wrong
with this picture, coincidence or not, is to note the judge representing the
case, Denis Jacques, was a Liberal Party candidate in 2004. The same political
party student groups protested against earlier this year.
From 'La Presse' Article in 2005
Due to this situation,
Nadeau-Dubois risks facing to pay a $50,000 fine or one year in prison. Throughout
the movement he was often the media’s target every time there would be scenes
of violence or brutality at Quebec protests.
He has already
garnished support from Toronto, where a protest of 3000 people took place over
the weekend.
The real issue behind
this case is he worries the example would evoke fear within other spokespersons
from activists groups.
From one angle we can
say they are eager to find someone to blame for the violation of injunctions,
yet wouldn’t it be more logical to sue those who stood physically at the doors
when Morasse attempted to head into the classroom?
From another angle we
can say this is beyond the judicial system, yet a fear tactic against other
student groups, environmental organizations, those opposed to the XL Pipeline,
First Nations, and anyone who happens to have opinion against the government.
Like it or not, this angle makes the story clearer. Sadly, this is a situation
that is uncanny to the recent case against the band Pussy Riot, who were
condemned in Russia for merely writing a song against President Vladimir Putin,
or the Tank Man at Tiananmen Square, China, who has still not been found after
blocking an army tank at a protest in 1989.
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Is this what we have
come to in a nation where Prime Minister Trudeau gave us the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms for this very reason?
This is reminiscent of a
simpler time in history, when the monarchy sent anyone supposedly guilty of
treason to be publicly hanged, as a way to show others not to do the same.
Although with Quebec being the province basking in the glow of protest since
Les Patriotes in the 19th century, this certainly won’t phase those part of
the current movement from speaking.
There is a website
raising money to help for Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’ legal bills, which can be
found at http://appelatous.org/
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