Montreal is a real mess lately. The student protests over
tuition hikes have grown increasingly
rowdy since they began in February, leading to the
implementation of controversial
restrictions on protest in the region. While the
U.N. has condemned the restrictions (a.k.a. Bill 78) the
greatest opposition to the protest-banning bill has come from the
students themselves, who have renewed their protest with greater
enthusiasm.

One of the stars of the protest is Anarchopanda,
a college professor with a mission to calm the tension by hugging
everyone while wearing a glorious panda costume. Hugging
police clad in riot gear might not be the recommended plan for
most, but Anarchopanda has managed to do so
without getting pepper sprayed or clubbed to a bloody
pulp. With the
police violence seen in many protests in the last year, the
fact that Anarchopanda has thrived without receiving a sound
beating reveals a lot about his protest strategy, and the value of
non-violent civil disobedience. Plus, it would take a particularly
tone-deaf cop to start whaling on a cuddly panda.

When Occupy Wall Street was getting out of control, the police
started playing rough,
as in this episode on November 17, where cops deployed
nightsticks and pepper spray in New York and California—a tangible
demonstration of the monopoly on force in action.
But Anarchopanda isn’t fighting anyone. He’s simply
challenging the moral authority of the state…with hugs! Cops

know how to handle violent Quebecois protestors, but they
seem baffled by their current panda protester.

And if Anarchopanda does end up on the receiving end of pepper
spray or a nightstick? Well, that panda head probably makes one
hell of a helmet.

Anarchopanda–style protest is becoming
increasingly popular—his clown cousins showed up in Chicago
last month.

See Reason‘s coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protest
here.