Montrealers opposed to a Quebec bylaw that curbs the right to protest hope the movement’s furry mascot will help draw attention to a fundraising campaign aimed at fighting the controversial measure.
The “Anarchopanda” mascot is being touted as the symbol behind a fundraising campaign to fight bylaw P-6, which requires groups to provide police with an itinerary before they set out on a march and bans the use of masks at organized demonstrations.
The ‘Pandaction’ campaign was launched over the weekend and has since raised more than $14,000 via the fundraising website Indiegogo. The donated money will be used to cover the cost of recent tickets issued to demonstrators and to finance a legal challenge against the bylaw.
“Anarchopanda hopes not only to be able to finance the defence of those who have already undergone this type of legal and financial repression, but also the defence of any who might undergo it in the near future,” says a statement on the campaign website.
Hundreds of individuals have been issued tickets since the P-6 bylaw was passed by Montreal’s city council last May, including Anarchopanda himself.
During a downtown Montreal protest on April 5, Anarchopanda had his head seized by police. The man disguised as the panda, a philosophy professor at the Maisonneuve College, was issued two $637 fines for both wearing a mask and for participating a protest that was deemed illegal.
