Accusing the Jean Charest government of being "unfit to govern free people," the Canadian Union of Postal Workers says it supports the students of Québec in their struggle for affordable education.

"We join people across the country in condemning the shameful and disgusting legislation brought against the striking students by the Charest government," CUPW said, referring to Bill 78. "This legislation shows that they do not respect basic human rights."

Bill 78, which was passed Friday, suspends the academic term at some post-secondary institutions until the summer, with the aim of letting student hotheads cool off.

Critics say it also attacks civil liberties and Charter freedoms by decreeing that any protest involving 50 or more people must give police eight hours of notice about when and where they will be protesting, and change their route if police ask.

In its statement issued Friday, CUPW says that "the federal government's back-to-work legislation (imposed last summer) stripped us of our right to strike and threatened us with similarly punitive measures if we did not comply. We applaud the courage of the students and pledge the solidarity of thousands of postal workers."

The union. however, did not condemn the violence that has marred the protests and did not respond to QMI Agency's request for comment.

On Friday, rioters hurled Molotov cocktails and other projectiles at Montreal police officers minutes before the protest was declared illegal at about 9:50 p.m.