Scouts Canada drops out of Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade over protest scare
Anti-police brutality demonstration slated to take place just a stone's throw from parade route
Scouts Canada says its troops will not participate in Montreal's 192nd St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 22, following reports that an anti-police brutality group is planning to hold a demonstration at nearly the same time and place.
The Scouts organization posted on its website Friday that it was concerned about a "plan to crash the parade" and "a risk of potential violence."
On the Collective Opposed to Police Brutality website, invitations have been posted to an event called “St-Patrak” — which rhymes with "matraque," the French word for a police officer's club.
The protest is set for 1:30 p.m. on March 22 at Norman Bethune Square, at the corner of de Maisonneuve Boulevard West and Guy Street.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at noon just a few blocks away on Fort Street and is to move east along Sainte-Catherine Street to Phillips Square.
Instead of heading downtown to participate in the Montreal parade – one of the largest St. Patrick's Day gatherings in North America – Scouts Canada is encouraging its troops to participate in St. Patrick's Day parades in other communities, including Hudson on Saturday, March 21 and Châteauguay on Sunday, March 29.