Portuguese Procession Defies Permit Denial in Plateau
Over 4,000 people marched for Santo Cristo despite the borough's refusal—raising questions about religious freedom under Quebec's new secularism law.
Sunday afternoon in Plateau-Mont-Royal: more than 4,000 people walked through the streets in a silent procession for the Feast of Santo Cristo, a Portuguese Catholic tradition. What made it newsworthy wasn't the turnout—it was that the Plateau borough had denied the permit just ten days before the event.
The permit refusal cited Quebec's newly expanded provincial secularism law, which now prohibits collective religious expression on public property, including prayers, religious chants, and organized processions. The law was designed to enforce stricter separation between church and state—but organizers and participants argued that a silent march with no prayers or religious chants shouldn't fall under that ban.
Emanel Linhares, an organizing member, told reporters the group started the permit application back in February, only to get the denial with barely enough time to change plans. "We weren't given much runway," he said in effect, pointing out that the short turnaround made it nearly impossible to accommodate the borough's conditions. Montreal police, however, confirmed by Wednesday that the march could proceed despite the permit denial, and the community decided to move forward anyway.
The procession itself was peaceful and reverent—exactly what organizers said it would be. Families, elders, and younger members of the Portuguese community walked together in what's become a cornerstone of their neighborhood calendar. The event underscores a growing tension in Quebec: how much religious and cultural expression can coexist with aggressive secularism laws, and who decides where the line gets drawn.