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Peaceful Protest Turns Nasty

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Canadian Press
June 15, 2002


A protest that started peacefully at the Group of Seven finance ministers meeting turned nasty late Saturday as protesters clashed with police in downtown Halifax.

About 20 people were arrested following sometimes violent scuffles with police and an RCMP riot squad — largely after the majority of the ministers from the world's wealthiest nations had finished their two-day meeting.

The skirmishes started after chanting protesters, many wearing bandannas over their faces, tore down some of the barricades that had been erected outside the building where the ministers were meeting, and started to advance on a line of riot police.

Some of the demonstrators in the crowd of about 200 also pepper-sprayed nearby reporters and threw oranges and other objects at officers.

Heavily armed police responded by using clouds of tear gas and stun guns to break up the group. At least one female protester was injured when two officers charged out of the police line.

"I was right at the very front. The officer levelled the gun at me and I asked him not to point it at me and then he proceeded to shoot me without any provocation," said one protester still sniffling from the gas who would only give his first name, Brian.

"You can still see there's gas and stuff on my pants from it."

The loose coalition of demonstrators — mostly from the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario — included antiglobalization protesters, human rights activists and people upset over the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

"It's about equality, where some people are not so rich that they can run everybody else's lives and then other people like me are waiting for two weeks until the damn food bank will let me get some more because I'm looking for work and I can't find it," said protester Scott Barber, who was hit by seven stun gun blasts.

RCMP spokesman Sergeant Wayne Noonan said the protesters were hurling objects at police, including bottles, possibly one fire bomb and using ball bearings in slingshots.

He said officers decided to use tear gas after the crowd tore down barricades and began roughing up reporters.

"We did not change the rules here, the protesters did," he said, adding police have not determined yet what charges will be laid.

The protesters were later pushed up onto Citadel Hill where they banged on steel guardrails as police carrying shields and batons kept a watchful eye on them. Some taunted police and made peace signs while others quietly sat in the middle of the street in front of a phalanx of riot police. They later dispersed as police removed the barricades and returned the downtown to normal traffic.

The Halifax meeting is the last ministerial meeting before the Group of Eight summit in Kananaskis, Alta., later this month.


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FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.