Group defends using guillotine to ‘decapitate’ labour minister at Montreal protest

An archived photo of a May 1 demonstration. (LA PRESSE CANADIENNE/Graham Hughes)

Despite condemnation from political leaders, the group Alliance Ouvrière is defending its use of a guillotine during Saturday’s protest in Montreal to mark International Workers’ Day.

In a video that went viral on social media, demonstrators could be seen using a guillotine to decapitate a papier-mâché head representing Labour Minister Jean Boulet.

The act was condemned by numerous politicians, including Premier Christine Fréchette, as major labour unions distanced themselves from the incident.

In a statement released to the media on Monday, the group Alliance Ouvrière defended its actions, arguing that this “carnival-style performance” evoked a “historic symbol of popular anger against out-of-touch elites.”

The group stated that it believes “the vast majority of those present understood and supported” its message, namely that it is time for “people to hold those in power accountable before the situation worsens.”

In particular, it criticized Boulet for having “allowed Amazon to lay off more than 4,500 workers” when it closed its warehouses in Quebec last year.

“The working class is done apologizing,” Alliance Ouvrière concluded in its statement.

Over the weekend, politicians from all parties denounced the stunt, demanding apologies from those who took part.

Parti Québécois (PQ) Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he was “as disgusted as he was shocked.”

Liberal Party (PLQ) Leader Charles Milliard added that “this type of action has no place in our society.”

Québec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal emphasized that “political violence has no place in a democracy, no matter where it comes from,” and that “staging the beheading of a minister is an unacceptable act of violence.”

For their part, the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD), Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) and Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) issued a joint statement affirming that they are “completely distancing themselves from this isolated act.”

According to Fréchette, the unions “have a responsibility to condemn the acts that occur during a demonstration, which they did promptly.”

She wrote on X that she favours the path of collaboration and is “convinced that we will demonstrate that it is possible to move forward constructively without violence or threats.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 4, 2026.