Murray-Hill riot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Murray-Hill riot was the culmination of 16 hours of unrest in Montréal, Québec during a Montréal police strike.

As the police was on strike in October 1969, a crowd of disgruntled taxi drivers congregated around the Murray-Hill garage in Griffintown, protesting against Murray-Hill’s monopoly at the Dorval International Airport. Attempts by the Quebec Provincial Police to stop the procession towards the garage were stopped by striking Montréal policemen. During the melée, QPP corporal Robert Dumas was killed by shots fired from the roof by security guards and the owner’s son.

As the riot was ongoing, the National Assembly of Quebec passed an emergency law forcing the police back to work. The inability of the City of Montréal to manage its police force was a driving factor behind the creation of the Montréal Urban Community in 1970. Murray Hill also lost its monopoly at the Dorval airport.