One arrested and 57 ticketed for protesting Quebec’s curfew

Montreal police say 57 people were ticketed and one was arrested at a protest against Quebec’s provincewide curfew on Saturday night.

A few dozen people gathered in downtown Montreal to oppose the return of a curfew, which came into effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Premier Francois Legault announced the measure at a news conference in Montreal on Dec. 30 in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and prevent the province’s health-care system from being overwhelmed.

Montreal Police spokeswoman Caroline Chevrefils says one person was arrested on Saturday for assaulting a police officer, and 57 tickets were issued for violating the curfew.