Toronto,
26 giugno: scontri tra il blocco nero e le forze di polizia. Secondo
la stampa canadese alla fine della giornata sono stati effettuati 130
fermi e ci sarebbero 3 manifestanti feriti. Date alle fiamme 4
pattuglie della polizia e danni di una certa entità contro
banche ed altre strutture commerciali.
fonte
(articoli, foto e video):
http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100626/summit-protests-100626/20100626/?hub=CalgaryHome
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Police
attempt to clear crowds amid G20 unrest
Heavily
armed riot police are attempting to clear crowds out of central
Toronto, several hours after black-clad vandals raged through the
city in protest of the G20 summit.
In
the heart of the city, four police cars have been torched and
officers have used tear gas. There are reports that police fired
rubber bullets to disperse the crowds, which Toronto Police Chief
Bill Blair could not confirm.
With
large swaths of the city core paralyzed, the demonstrations have
forced officials to shut down downtown subway stations and close off
main streets from vehicle traffic.
At
least 130 arrests have been made and officials say that number could
rise as night approaches.
"I
want to assure you that the persons responsible will be held
accountable," Blair told reporters.
"We
are working hard to maintain order and restore the rule of law."
Only
a few blocks from the mayhem, G20 leaders are meeting at the Metro
Toronto Convention Centre.
Latest
developments:
-
Large
crowds still marching through the city -
Police
prepare for more protests on Sunday -
Prime
Minister’s Office says "thugs" behind violence -
CTV
News employee taken into police custody
The
violence escalated after a splinter group broke away from a large and
peaceful group of protesters who began marching around 1 p.m. local
time.
Though
the number of protesters appeared to dwindle into the evening,
flashpoints continued to occur around the city.
At
the Ontario legislature, mounted police and riot officers attempted
to disperse a crowd of demonstrators and onlookers.
At
one point, a CTV producer working on the scene was taken into police
custody.
CTV
reporter Scott Laurie questioned police officers about the arrest but
was not given an immediate answer. Laurie said the employee was
wearing his media accreditation.
Moments
later, the crowd then re-grouped and marched southward down Yonge
Street.
Toronto
Mayor David Miller said at a news conference that the so-called
anarchists are simply criminals who are determined to cause as much
destruction as possible.
"It
was a deliberate act by people who make it their business to commit
these acts," he said.
"Am
I angry? Absolutely."
Miller
spoke to reporters at about 6 p.m. local time, nearly five hours
after the protest erupted into violence.
Video
footage captured earlier in the day showed that many of the violent
protesters were changing out of their black clothes and blending into
the larger crowds.
The
Prime Minister’s Office released a statement on Saturday evening,
saying:
"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."
Earlier,
the black-clad protesters smashed up a police cruiser and smashed its
windshield along Queen Street, as other demonstrators hurled bottles
and sticks at a solid line of riot police.
As
police donned gas masks and mounted units rode into the city’s core
on horses, the violent protesters lit garbage on fire and tipped over
recycling containers. They also smashed vehicles in and grabbed
stones from nearby homes.
News
media vehicles were also targeted and vandalized.
A
concert at the Air Canada Centre has been cancelled, hospitals in the
downtown core have been locked down and the Eaton Centre was also
closed.
Earlier
on Queen Street, next to the MuchMusic building, the violent
protesters attempted to break southward through a tight line of riot
police.
Three
protesters involved in the confrontation suffered injuries. According
to reports from the scene, some were bleeding from the head.
Moments
later, another standoff occurred a few blocks west, where protesters
reportedly tossed sticks at police and chanted "let us go."
Earlier,
thousands of demonstrators gathered at the Ontario legislature
Saturday morning to hear speeches.
While
protest organizers promised a family-friendly demonstration, a
splinter group calling itself the "Get off the Fence contingent"
announced plans to challenge the heavy security cordon around the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where the G20 summit began Saturday
afternoon.
Around
1 p.m., two protesters were arrested near the downtown core and
allegedly found with an "incendiary device." Unconfirmed
reports from the scene said the pair was carrying Molotov cocktails.