St. Jean Baptiste Parade Montreal 1968

It has become a bit of a cliche to note that 1967 was the Summer of Love. That everything great happened around the world that year, including in Montreal where we had Expo 67 and that the next year 1968 was hell on earth everywhere. Well it was true for Montreal as well as we saw hundreds hurl bottles and acid at police and others including Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who was on the reviewing stand for the St. Jean Baptiste Parade in June 1968 on the eve of his first election as Prime Minister (he was already PM because had taken over earlier but not elected as PM). Trudeau had avoided John the Baptist nationalist celebrations/protests in the deep East End a few days earlier but on this night to his credit he stood his ground against the wild protesters 234 of whom were arrested and charged.
   The boxer Reggie Chartrand (remember him?) apprehended carrying acid and Pierre Bourgault was walked off on the shoulders of what he
thought were supporters but in fact were undercover cops. Quebec nationalists were not keen on Trudeau's vision of one society which trounced the Stanfield Conservatives' two nations approach. Thanks again to HR for the photos.