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Nearly 70 face charges in Montreal protest

MONTREAL, May 20 (UPI) -- Montreal police say about half of the 69 people arrested during a weekend protest over new laws limiting the size of demonstrations will face assault charges.

Police confronted a crowd in the streets Saturday that was much larger than the maximum of 50 allowed to rally under a controversial new law known as Bill 78.

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Although minor charges were filed against many of those arrested, police told The Gazette in Montreal that 36 were being charged federally with assault on police officers.

Bill 78 prohibits gatherings larger than 50 people unless they provide police with advance notice about the location and route of their planned march. Some demonstrators called the measure "unjust" and vowed to continue opposition in the streets.

"We'll fight this in the streets and we'll fight it in the courtrooms and it will die because the freedom of assembly is one of our most fundamental rights," Jamie Klinger, 26, told The Gazette. "These laws have no place in a democracy."

Proponents of the bill said it was necessary to protect the rights of businesses and Montreal citizens who have been put out by the ongoing student protests that have taken place daily for nearly a month.

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