Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie and videographer Guillaume Roy are often covering controversial public protests across Quebec. But frequently following these events makes our team recognizable to hostile crowds — leading to an increased need for security to keep our journalists safe.

Despite the reinforcements, this past weekend in Montreal, Guillaume was assaulted by an as-of-yet unidentified attacker while covering a left-wing protest.

On Monday's Rebel Roundup livestream, hosts David Menzies and Sheila Gunn Reid condemned the assault and the police's failure to protect Canadians' right to safety in the public square.

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“I'm no stranger to physicality out in the field,” said David, who has been on the receiving end of assaults as well. “When I see this garbage happen to my colleagues, I lose it.”

Incidents like these are “unacceptable,” he said, adding that “it doesn't have to happen — if the police would do their job, this does not have to happen.”

Government-funded journalists, meanwhile, “complain about mean tweets,” Sheila said. “I get mean tweets every day, they're kind of funny.”

Rebel News journalists, on the other hand, “are being assaulted, dragged to the ground, ending up in the hospital — in full view of the cops — and nothing happens.”

Watch raw footage of the incident below. You can also support our security costs, so we can keep our team as safe as possible, at StandWithAlexa.com.