Activists told to tone down anti-austerity rhetoric and enjoy the show
Concordia’s anti-austerity movement suffered a rude shock yesterday evening when they were politely informed their earnest attempts at picketing classes and facing down the state’s policies were unwelcome intrusions into what is, in fact, a staging of public art.
The emergency meeting was held late Monday night to rein in what the Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) called ‘overzealous affiliation’ by Montreal’s anglophone student community.
“This was originally conceived as a symbolic gesture mediated through the soothing powers of artistry,” said UQAM dance professor Louise Lorraine. “It was, how do you call it in English, danse interprétative. Is that the right word?” She then went to lecture the McGill and Concordia attendees on the wondrous performance that ostensibly pitted students versus police but depended on a beautiful collaboration between both.