Quebec’s student protest turned into something much bigger y
diversified when Charest’s government adopted bill 78 on May 18,
in various ways limiting rights to assemble and protest. A few
days later, people of all ages and backgrounds starting hitting
kitchen pans to make noise and express their discontent to this
tired, corrupted and incompetent government. First on their
balcony, later in the streets. Les casseroles also gained
regions outside Montreal, traditionally less inclined to protest
and take the streets. How this original form of protest came
about? Where does it come from? A cegep political science
profesor first proposed the idea on facebook. François-Olivier
Chené thought it could represent a good way to protest without
disobeying bill 78, since people would stay on their balcony to
protest. Protesters quickly got taken away and les casseroles
took the streets. He had heard that Chileans had protested
against Pinochet’s dictatorship doing cacerolazos. The first
protesters to use this technique