MONTREAL - Students blocked access to government buildings in at least two Quebec cities on Tuesday, with police responding by pepper-spraying one of the crowds.
Police said the spray was used on protesters in Montreal who had blocked off the offices of the provincial liquor board, preventing people from getting to work.
One security guard suffered cuts to his faces after scuffling with students as he tried to get into the building where he works. Other employees were seen heading home.
At least one student was detained.
In Quebec City, protesters cut off access to a government building and some civil servants needed a police escort to get into their offices.
Daily protests are being organized by the associations representing college and university students, who estimate that nearly 130,000 of their members have walked out on their classes.
Students are up in arms over the Charest government's plan to nearly double tuition fees over five years, to $3,800 per year, to bring them closer to the national average.
The government says it will reach its target with a series of $325-a-year increases which, the government says, will still leave the province with among the lowest fees in Canada even after the hikes.
Protests are scheduled right across Quebec on Tuesday, in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Laval and a few other cities.
