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150 arrested in latest student protest

GATINEAU, Que. - Increasingly nasty skirmishes in Quebec between police and student protesters resulted in 150 arrests in one spot today.

The arrests came at the Universite du Quebec at Gatineau, where authorities described scenes of vandalism and considerable damage.

The protesters have been released for now but the majority will face severe charges - including acts of criminal mischief and illegal occupation, which are much more serious than the tickets for municipal violations that have been handed out so far.

Quebec students have been in the streets this spring protesting against tuition hikes, which would raise university fees 75 per cent over five years but still leave the province with rates lower than the Canadian average.

While many students have returned to their classrooms, the ongoing protests have become increasingly radical, including acts that have disrupted subway service in Montreal.

Meanwhile, baton-wielding police have also become aggressive in dealing with crowds. Even some teachers have been arrested.

The conflict is getting expensive.

Provincial police say the protests have already cost them $1.5 million just in overtime - and that's without patrolling the biggest hotbed of the dispute, Montreal, which has a separate police force.

Provincial police boss Richard Deschesnes says the dispute has required more than 28,000 hours of overtime.

Public opinion polls have suggested Quebecers generally support the fee hikes. However, they also suggest Quebecers would like to see some sort of middle-ground compromise that would calm the situation.

The dispute is playing out with a provincial election approaching, perhaps as early as this spring. Premier Jean Charest must hold a vote by late 2013.

Student leaders have lost control of the protests, Deschesnes says. The groups have varying demands, ranging from a tuition freeze to zero tuition.

There have also been hints that the student protests might graft themselves onto other movements comprising people unhappy with the government - such as environmentalists opposed to Charest's northern-development plan.



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