Police Use Pepper Spray on Student Protesters

Over 10,000 college students have marched through Canada’s Montreal in a bid to protest again the government’s proposed plans to increase tuition fees by 75 percent over the next five years. At least four people have been arrested.

In an attempt to gain control of the situation, police dispersed pepper spray into the crowd, after objects are alleged to have been thrown by protesters. There were many protesters with banners proclaiming that education is a right not a luxury.

It is estimated that the march attracted more than 30,000 individuals, as well as dozens of riot police.

However, while there were countless protesters present, many are hailing the news of the fee hike, considering that tuition fees in Quebec have stayed frozen for 33 of the past 43 years. As a result of this, it is believed that the universities are suffering from under-funding.

The Quebec Premier is adamant that he will push through with his plan to raise college fees by $1,625. Current tuition fees are around $2,200 a year, but it is proposed that by 2016 they will be topped up to $4,000 without counting university fees.

However, it is claimed that even with these fee increases, students in Quebec will still have the lowest rate in Canada, where the average nationwide tuition cost amounts to $5,300.

With various protests going on around the world it is necessary for police to have access to a wide range of self defense tools that they can employ at a moment’s notice.

Without the use of pepper spray, they would have to resort to brute force which comes with the risk of harming those that are innocent. However, with the use of a self defense spray canister it is possible for police to target a large group of individuals at one time, which is more time effective.

In situations that can change at any moment it is vital for police to know that they have the tools at hand to assist them on the job. Crowds of people have the potential to attract individuals who want to create problems, which is why police need to be ready to act at a moment’s notice when the situation calls for it. Simply knowing that they have the required tools at hand to help them makes it easier for them to achieve the results they want in a timely manner.