TORONTO — Following an afternoon of violent clashes in Toronto, riot police arrested dozens of G20 protesters who have rampaged through the city’s downtown burning police cars and smashing windows.
At Queen’s Park — the provincial legislature — riot police on horseback have surrounded a group of protesters.
The scene was chaotic as officers on foot in full riot gear and banging their shields tackled protesters to the ground and quickly bundled them behind police lines.
Clashes with police broke out early Saturday afternoon as an estimated 10,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Toronto as part of a massive protest against the G20 summit of world leaders being held in the city.
While most were content to sing, wave placards and dance, a smaller group, estimated at roughly 100, were doing more serious damage, smashing windows at banks and shops in the downtown, as well as attacking two media vehicles.
Dressed in helmets, gas masks and body armour, police appeared to have successfully blocked the protesters from walking down toward the Toronto Convention Centre, the site of the G20 summit.
At one point, after flames and smoke had finally stopped streaming from two of the burnt-out police cars, which had been parked when they were set ablaze, officers formed a line four deep to block off a street.
Hundreds of protesters, filling an entire city block, chanted angrily at the officers: “Let us through,” and “This is what a police state looks like.”
The crowd cheered when a charred police car was towed away.
Toronto Mayor David Miller reacted angrily to the riots.
“I just want to say to Torontonians directly – please stay calm, don’t be disturbed by these images (on TV),” said the mayor.
He said the rioters were “criminals” whose only intent on Saturday was to cause damage and be violent.
“They are criminals and they will be handled by the criminal justice system.”
Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's director of communications, condemned the violence.
“Free speech is a principle of our democracy. But the thugs that prompted violence earlier today represent in no way shape or form the Canadian way of life,” Soudas said.
A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, Chris McCluskey, said the minister is being continuously updated “on the destructive and violent activity taking place in downtown Toronto.
“These images are truly shocking to Canadians. Toronto is a world-class city, and the Government of Canada condemns these acts of violence by groups of radical protestors.”
The G20 security zone was put on lockdown as were several other locations, including the Eaton Centre shopping mall, SickKids Hospital and Toronto General Hospital. The Eaton Centre lockdown was lifted later in the afternoon.
Officers had both golf balls and flowers thrown at them, a symbol of the dichotomy security officials faced.
“As you can see, the officers are out there and they’re reacting to the crowd or to the incidents as they come along with the response required to keep the control of the situation,” said Const. Rodney Petroski, a spokesman for the G20 Integrated Security Unit.
“It’s fluid, but they are responding as the incidents arrive.”
Toronto EMS confirmed three people had been injured.
“We have a call of three people bleeding from the head in the area of the protest. . . . They are stable. Toronto EMS is trying to get into the area. We’re close by and waiting for it to be safe to enter,” said Kim McKinnon.
At one location, a CTV store, a Scotiabank and a Subway restaurant all had windows smashed.
"Bomb the bank," was scrawled in spray-paint across its front.
Miller rejected suggested the Toronto police stood back and didn’t do enough to stop the rioters from damaging property in the downtown core.
“I think we should be very proud of the Toronto police service,” he said, adding that the riot shows why the police “erred on the side of caution” by preparing for violent confrontations.
Miller said he thinks the federal government should provide financial compensation to people whose property was damaged – something the Harper government has said it was not inclined to do.
TTC subway service in the downtown core has been shut down, and GO Transit has suspended service to Union Station on the Lakeshore line at the request of police.
Farrah Miranda, an organizer from community group No One Is Illegal, said she Syed Hussan were stopped by officers who refused to identify themselves.
She said they threw a handcuffed Hassan into an unmarked car and drove away.
She said she was handcuffed, driven around, questioned and released on a street corner in what she called “intimidation and bullying tactics.”
Meanwhile, two Toronto veterinarians say they were woken up at gunpoint Saturday morning by police who thought they were the anti-G20 protesters who live in the apartment downstairs.
