Champlain Bridge Massacre (Cinco De Mayo)

The Champlain Bridge Massacre was an incident that occurred on May 23rd, 1985 in Gatineau, Canada. During the "Day of Demonstration" organized by the Progressive Alliance and Bloc Quebecois to demand the release from prison of political prisoners such as Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Jacques Parizeau, protestors in Gatineau began crossing the Champlain Bridge across the Ottawa River into Ottawa, where they planned to finish their protest in front of the Politburo and Socialist Party headquarters.

Armed police demanded the crowd disperse, and when they attempted to cross the bridge, police opened fire, killing seventeen people in the initial exchange of fire. As the crowd fled in response, gas canisters were launched against the demonstrators and police chased many whom were fleeing and killed an additional twenty people, five of whom had not been participating in the protests. In addition to the thirty-seven dead, nearly four hundred people were injured. After the protests, the police rounded up nineteen "terrorists" who were tried as enemies of the state, seven of whom were executed that August by firing squad.

The events led to widespread international condemnation and ended almost all credibility for the Canadian regime of John Turner, which had earlier been making overtures to opposition leaders to begin what he called the "Round-Table Talks" to transfer some power to the individual provinces. Opposition leaders completely withdrew from the talks, all TATO nations recalled their ambassadors from Canada, and British Union leader Margaret Thatcher was thereafter convinced that relations with the German bloc needed repair and Communism needed to be wound down somewhat. Two years later, during May 23rd protests in Montreal to commemorate the event, Canadian forces allowed the protestors to roam free, signifying that the Canadian government would do nothing to prevent future domestic criticism of its rule.