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Student leaders announced a wave of protests that they hope will dwarf the Maple Spring of 2012. This time, they will be marching to call for an end to austerity measures and the exploitation of fossil fuels.

Representatives of five student associations from the Université de Montréal and UQAM said in a news conference on Friday that they have the support of 32,500 students across six campuses to launch the strike, dubbed Printemps 2015.

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They plan to hold the first protest March 21 at 2 p.m. at Place Émilie-Gamelin, near Berri métro, and to demonstrate there again every subsequent Saturday until their demands are met.

So far 25 student associations — from UdeM, UQAM, Université Laval, Concordia, CEGEP du Vieux Montréal and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi — have voted to go on strike starting March 23.

Associations for about another 100,000 students are to hold strike votes in the coming weeks, said Félix Gingras-Genest, a member of UQAM’s social science student union.