Asia-Pacific

Protest against summit turns violent, 130 arrested

By Li Xing (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-27 13:10

Police prevent protestors from entering the Ontario Legislative building area, originally the place for demonstration. [chinadaily.com.cn/Li Xing]

Toronto - The square in front of the Ontario Legislative Building was designated for demonstrations. However, hundreds of police rallied together there late afternoon Saturday to disperse protestors, after protests turned violent early afternoon in downtown.

Some protestors burned two police cars and others smashed shop windows.

Holding plastic shield, they marched in formation to push the protestors away from the square. Every now and then, some shots were fired and a few policemen would charge forward into the crowds and grab one or two protestors.

China Daily reporter saw one protestor was pressed down on the ground by a few policemen and taken away into the police blockade.

The police pushed forward hard and in the end gained the whole ground in the legislative building area plus University of Toronto's main campus. However, protestors gathered again near the university late at night.

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

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

Malissa Goldstein, a communication expert for profit sectors, 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 the CA$30 million ($31.6 million) that the Canadian government is spending on the G8 and G20 summit. "One has to wonder where the government's priorities are," she said.

Local television reported that there was clash between the police and protestors. Most shops in downtown closed early Saturday afternoon. Buses and streetcars stopped operation in the streets where protestors gathered. Some subway stations also closed.

It was also reported that at least 130 people were arrested on vandalism, including two protestors taken away at the university for possession of incendiary devices.