Murray-Hill riot
Encyclopedia
The Murray-Hill riot was the culmination of 16 hours of unrest in Montreal
, Quebec
during a Montreal police
strike.
Police were motivated to strike because of difficult working conditions caused by disarming separatist-planted bombs and patrolling frequent protests. Montreal police also wanted higher pay, commensurate with police earnings in Toronto.
As the police were on strike on October 7, 1969, a crowd of disgruntled taxi drivers congregated around the Murray-Hill garage in Griffintown
, protesting against Murray-Hill’s monopoly at the Dorval International Airport. Attempts by the Sûreté du Québec
to stop the procession towards the garage were stopped by striking Montreal policemen. During the melée, QPP corporal Robert Dumas was killed by shots fired from the roof by security guards and the owner’s son.
As the riot was ongoing, the National Assembly of Quebec
passed an emergency law forcing the police back to work. By the time order was restored, 108 people had been arrested. The inability of the City of Montreal to manage its police force was a driving factor behind the creation of the Montreal Urban Community
in 1970. Murray Hill also lost its monopoly at the Dorval airport.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
during a Montreal police
Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal is the police force for the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With about 4,400 officers and 1,600 civilian staff, it is the second largest municipal police agency in Canada after the Toronto Police Service and second largest in the province behind the...
strike.
Police were motivated to strike because of difficult working conditions caused by disarming separatist-planted bombs and patrolling frequent protests. Montreal police also wanted higher pay, commensurate with police earnings in Toronto.
As the police were on strike on October 7, 1969, a crowd of disgruntled taxi drivers congregated around the Murray-Hill garage in Griffintown
Griffintown
Griffintown is the popular name given to the former southwestern downtown part of Montreal, Quebec, which existed from the 1820s until the 1960s and was mainly populated by Irish immigrants and their descendants....
, protesting against Murray-Hill’s monopoly at the Dorval International Airport. Attempts by the Sûreté du Québec
Sûreté du Québec
Sûreté du Québec or SQ is the provincial police force for the Canadian province of Québec...
to stop the procession towards the garage were stopped by striking Montreal policemen. During the melée, QPP corporal Robert Dumas was killed by shots fired from the roof by security guards and the owner’s son.
As the riot was ongoing, the National Assembly of Quebec
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
passed an emergency law forcing the police back to work. By the time order was restored, 108 people had been arrested. The inability of the City of Montreal to manage its police force was a driving factor behind the creation of the Montreal Urban Community
Montreal Urban Community
The Montreal Urban Community was a regional government that covered all municipalities that later merged into the megacity of Montreal.- History :...
in 1970. Murray Hill also lost its monopoly at the Dorval airport.