Investigation Launched After Guillotine Stunt Draws Condemnation
Montreal police have opened an investigation after demonstrators used a guillotine to behead a papier-mâché effigy of Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet at a May Day rally, sparking widespread condemnation from political leaders across the province.
Video footage from the event shows protesters cutting the head off the effigy before cheering and kicking it. The Montreal Police Service confirmed a “deep analysis” of the incident is underway.
Political Leaders Condemn the Act
Chantal Rouleau, Minister Responsible for Montreal, called the demonstration unacceptable. “It’s terrible that people can do that,” she said. “Those people must excuse themselves. We are not like that in Quebec.”
Premier François Legault acknowledged the incident on social media, noting that unions had a responsibility to denounce what happened — and did so quickly. “I am convinced that we will demonstrate that it is possible to move forward constructively without violence or threats,” he wrote.
Legal Experts Raise Possibility of Criminal Charges
Legal experts say the stunt could carry criminal consequences. “I think there could be a potential charge for a death threat. A guillotine is associated with an execution,” said lawyer Eric Sutton.
Sutton added it remains unclear whether prosecutors would pursue charges, but said “the potential is certainly there.”
Major Unions Distance Themselves
Four of Quebec’s largest union federations — the Confédération des syndicats démocratiques, the Confédération des syndicats nationaux, the Centrale des syndicats du Québec, and the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec — issued a joint statement distancing themselves from the act, calling it an isolated incident.
The unions emphasized that thousands of workers participated in the International Workers’ Day demonstration, which they described as peaceful from start to finish.
Group Behind Stunt Defends Its Actions
The Workers Alliance, the group responsible for the performance, defended it as a “carnival-style” act meant to evoke “a historic symbol of popular anger against out-of-touch elites.”
The group linked its protest to the loss of more than 4,000 jobs following Amazon’s departure from Quebec, which it blamed on Minister Boulet and the CAQ government. “The real threat to democracy isn’t papier-mâché puppets, but policies that primarily serve the interests of the elites,” the group said in a statement.
The Workers Alliance added it will continue to encourage workers to pressure those in power, saying the working class is “done apologizing.”
Public Reaction Mixed
Some Montrealers said the protest went too far. “You could agree or disagree with their politics, but it doesn’t have to turn into dragging their heads through the streets,” one bystander told Global News. “That’s unbecoming of our democracy.”
