DRAFT COPY - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

&

Strategic framework for the 2012 Quebec student strike

Materials from ASS | Association pour une solidarit syndicale tudiante |edited by members of All in the
Red, NYC and Michigan. Updated October 2014.
This document was produced by All in the Red (AitR) members following several small in-person presentations
and conversations with ASS organizers and participants, which were coordinated and hosted by students from
CUNY and Free Cooper Union in New York City, and during the 2013 and 2014 National Student Power
Convergences. This document was initiated by AitR-MI. Summer 2013, and further edited and reviewed by
members of ASS and AitR-NYC in 2013-14. This material is paraphrased. The goal is to condense and clarify the
strategy behind the Quebec student strike of 2012, and to provide resources to inspire further analysis, and
long-term organization. Drawing from this work, All in the Red presented the session: The American Student
MovementOrganizing for the 21st Century Strike at the Montreal Student Movement Conference, June 2014.
Background info on the strike in English from the strike organizers
http://www.stopthehike.ca
http://www.studentstrike.net
Typical MSM coverage of the strike
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/06/the-montreal-protests-4-months-in/100315
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/2012-quebec-student-protests
Local coverage of Jacques Cartier Bridge action, 02/24/2012
http://bit.do/jacques-cartier-bridge-trigger
Rebel Youth: English-language resources about the Quebec student strike
http://bit.do/Quebec-Strike-English-Sources
Rebel Youth: Five thoughts from Quebec on organizing student strikes
http://bit.do/SQDF
Free Education Montreal
http://freeeducationmontreal.org
History of the Quebec Strike from Libcom
http://bit.do/combative-unionism
Montreal Student Movement Conference
https://msmc2014.ca
ASS official webpage
http://www.asse-solidarite.qc.ca
Mobilization documents (original)
www.asse-solidarite.qc.ca/typedocument/mobilisation

strategyandrage.net

Strategic framework for the Quebec 2012 Student Strike

- Political form: we are operating within a syndicalist framework. "Syndicalisme de Combat" or Combative
Syndicalism. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicalism )
- Political demands: we use smart demands like crowbars, to cut into the status quo as starting pointssteps
from the demands for lower tuition and free education, to fighting for the freedom to assemble, and against
state abuse, eventually towards the broader goal of attacking the neoliberal agenda in general and the state an
unjust system, similar to Occupy.
- Orientation: build up the left, rally the center, isolate the right.
- Organizing: we use direct democracy organizing, with strong general assemblies (GAs).
- Organizing: we use direct action for protests; some actions are official, organized by the GAs, plus there are
other actions undertaken by individuals who we are not connected with and have no control over. We are not
involved in the planning of such actions.
- Legitimacy: we generate both internal and external legitimacy; representing large groups, not only activist
elites, driving our collective political leverage in the real world.
- Unions and Hubs: our base is made up of student unions; we strive to develop main hubs at every campus. The
unions have refundable dues, so people can have their money back if they leave the union. For the 2012 strike,
ASS (student union), mutated and expanded temporarily into CLASSE, which was open not only to students but
to the broader public, using similar methods as ASS.
- Alliances: we forge strategic alliances with other unions and groups who share our goals.
- Diversity: we strive for a vibrant diversity of people and ideologies; we avoid being too homogenous; we foster
community, including centristsyou must do this to build a social movement. We try to be flexible and
inclusive, not too dogmatic or isolating. For example we took advantage of the fact that society comes together
on its campuses; recognizing that people such as physicists can also be revolutionaries and might be useful to us.
- Draw from history: our tactics and strategy draw from student struggles in 1990, 1996, and 2005, as well as
previous actions going back to 1968. ( http://www.stopthehike.ca/vers-la-greve-generale/historique-des-grevesgenerales) Our tuition is low because of the effective protests of past student activists, therefore we learn from
our past, and are prepared for various challenges.
- Escalation of tactics: at the beginning we did the usual boring political work of collecting signatures and
petitioning the government, and when that did not work we organized 1-day strikes, including one with 200,000
students plus a demo with 30,000 students, this led to 3-day strikes; and then, finally a call for a larger general
strike. The tactics need to go with one another in a progression, exhausting the more conventional approaches
before moving on to stronger methods, creating evidence of past efforts to show critics how we have tried
unsuccessfully to create change within the system through more conventional means.
- Escalation of tactics: The strategic plans for the general strike called for it to unroll in three waves, allowing for
a snowball effect:
*First, the most radical union had their assemblies and a strike vote; there was a conditional component on
getting 7 unions to join for the strike to take effect.
strategyandrage.net

*Next, the progressive and well-established unions voted.

*And finally, the weaker unions, with fewer activists or with unknown alliances would vote.
- Escalation of tactics: Soon there were nightly marches with tens of thousands. In response, the authorities
enacted the very repressive Law 78, banning protest of more than 50 people. We ignored it, and that is when
the 8pm casseroles marches began happening all over the city; the noise attracted people into the streets; and
these spawned neighborhood assemblies. Then, the whole city was involved and the strike became an
international story. At the peak of the strike we were able to call for a week of disruption.
- Slow and steady: our movement was built up over time. We did not just suddenly get huge, we planned in
advance, we planned thoughtfully over a long periodwe are dedicated to this work for many years,
coordinating, sharing and teaching our methods to the younger students so they can continue the fight. We do
not demand nor expect immediate results. We started with small protests and training camps, striving to involve
as many students as possible in ASS and its committees.
- Re-produce: we strive to be self-re-producing and durablethis is what we are doing now by teaching our
methods to students and teachers around North America.
- Prepare: grassroots political organizers must always be prepared for the ultimate state weapon: marshal law.
When the Quebec government enacted bill 78, we ignored it ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=D4hywQeC9Ig ) but now this year they have increased their repression and so we are stepping back, recalibrating, and re-organizing.

Tactics
Based on this strategy, we..
- Organized a massive information campaign on campuses called "stop the hike"we created, posted, handed
out, and circulated flyers, leaflets, posters, a website, video clips, and research papers. We did this to get
everyone talking and build buzz for our cause. We distributed printed materials all the time: flyering teams
conducted constant outreach. This was intensified in the weeks before the strikewith province-wide flyering
squads mobilized students, working all day from 8am-6pm. As a part of this process we had 5-10 min. long
conversations with students while distributing the materials. This helps to build participation and involvement.
We did this nonstop.
- Have general meetings where eight to several thousand people can learn the basics.
- Hold general assemblies, where we make important decisions together using a formal process. The process is
calibrated to encourage making efficient, democratic decisions, while eliminating distractions. At both the
assemblies and meetings we have mood watchers who make sure that all participants are okay and that the
mood and flow of the assemblies arcs towards our desired goals. We are translating the procedure codes (rules)
for our general assemblies into English.
- Communicate with strong symbols, for example the red square
- Know that food is important. We have food at our eventspeople need to eat.

strategyandrage.net

- Hire employees to do the difficult administrative work. Ethically, people need to be paid for doing the most
unpleasant but necessary work, such as administration and managing data.
- Document all actions and learn from our mistakes. We keep archives of everything we do.
- Publish the texts of your own internal dissenters; we assimilate them, but we do not let them distract us from
our progress.
- Use crusty punk tactics: it's important to be genuine, and to not look like the status quo.
- Responded to state repression, by forming a 24/7 legal committee that held workshops on safety, security and
"know your rights."

strategyandrage.net