China Daily Exclusive

Hundreds held in protest against G20 summit

By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-28 09:35

Toronto - At least three police cars were set ablaze by protesters and shop windows smashed in Toronto as demonstrators took to the streets against the G20 summit.

Hundreds of police in riot gear descended on the Ontario Legislative Building late afternoon Saturday to disperse demonstrators after protests turned violent early Saturday afternoon.

A protester makes a statement against the G20 summit in downtown Toronto late on Saturday. [Agencies]

At least 400 people were arrested by police using shields, clubs, tear gas and pepper spray to push back the protesters, Toronto police said late on Sunday.

The two-day summit is estimated to cost almost $2 billion, about double the original budget. More than half of the sum is being spent on security.

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A China Daily reporter saw one protester pressed to the ground by several policemen and taken away into the police blockade.

A roving band of protesters wearing black balaclavas shattered shop windows along stretches of blocks, including windows at police headquarters, then continued to rampage through downtown Toronto, according to the Associated Press.

Police cleared the area around the legislative building - which had been designated for protests - plus the University of Toronto's main campus. However, protesters gathered again near the university later at night.

Most shops downtown closed early Saturday afternoon.

Buses and streetcars stopped operation in the streets where protesters gathered. Some subway stations also closed.

Many of the demonstrators are college students who were expressing their anger at the amount of money the Canadian government spent on G8 and G20 summits.

One protester held a poster reading: "One billion for education, not for fortification."

Malissa Goldstein, a communication expert, joined the protest on Friday for the "infringement to our civil liberties," she said.

She was especially against a series of government budget cuts that "weaken our efforts to protect the environment, deal with climate change and challenge women's rights," she said.

These budget cuts do not square with millions that the Canadian government is spending on the G8 and G20 summit, she said.

"One has to wonder where the government's priorities are," she said.

Agencies contributed to this story.