Richard Riots: A Summary And Analysis

The notion of Quebec nationalism is far from a new concept and is ever present in Quebec. Yet, one can argue the modern push for independence had been sparked by the Richard Riots in 1955. Michael Farber recounts the hockey based events leading up to the infamous riot, stating that at the time from a cultural perspective that French and English relationships had deteriorated preceding the events and they have never been worse. Farber further suggests that one of the major factors in the rioting was due to Richard’s iconic significance to French Canadians. He elaborates that nationalist feelings were amplified by Richard’s suspension, as it was given by an Anglophone Commissioner, known for his anti-French sentiment, only reinforced the fans' feeling of victimization. (Farber,

Michael. 1999) Interestingly, in Russell Field’s review of Charles Forans’ biography on “The Rocket”, Field dispels some factual errors in the theory correlating The Richard Riots to the modern nationalism movement. It is stated that Richard never voiced desire to express nationalist significance.

Moreover, Richard is referred to as a reluctant hero. It is further elaborated that Richard he never openly supported the Quebec sovereignty movement, and his family refused to allow his coffin to be draped in the fleur-de-lys (Russell Field, 2012). The text L’affaire Richard analyses multiple factors (cultural, social, physiological, etc.) of the rioting actors to determine the ultimate motivations behind the riot. Thus rather than simply opting to explain the phenomena as the reemergence of the subdued notion of nationalism, the media is the primary belligerent in creating the frenzy that ensued. Thus, what is ultimately suggested is that the media pushed the nationalism movement in suggesting Richard’s suspension to be symbolic of the oppressive English Canadians. The Richard Riot was thus not so much a political statement as it was an abuse of power by the local media. (Duperreault, Jean R., 1981.) Other academic writings once again is portray the media as a prominent player in the nationalist movement. Yet, unlike the aforementioned text, the effects being evaluated are based after the death of

Richard. Moreover, the text provides analysis for the continuous divide between Quebec and English Canada. To this day the French media continues to use Richard as a symbol for Quebec nationalism and the English media for the most part seems in accordance. Ultimately, it is suggested that media constructs (as previously mentioned by Duperrault’s) using Richard to find meaning and perpetrate Nationalist discourse. (Ramos, Howard, and Kevin Gosine. 2001)