Report: Toronto police rough up journalists, arrest peaceful protesters at G20
28 June 2010 | 
Author: Professor |
By Daniel Tencer The Raw Story 27 June, 2010
UPDATE: TORONTO -- More than 500 people have been arrested in Toronto after a night of rioting that saw police cars burned in the financial district and storefront windows broken as leaders of the world's largest economies gathered in the city for the G20 summit.
As clashes between police and protesters moved into their second day, there were more reports of journalists and peaceful protesters being arrested. The National Post reported that two of its photographers were arrested, and a Post blogger says a cyclist was arrested after accidentally bumping into a police officer.
Meanwhile, the UK's Guardian confirmed earlier reports that one of its freelance journalists, Jesse Rosenfeld, was beaten and arrested at a protest Saturday night (see below).
The arrested protesters are being held in cages at a converted film studio on the city's downtown east side. News reports indicate that, so far, none of the arrested have been let go. The Globe and Mail reports that about 100 peaceful protesters converged on the facility Sunday, chanting "let them go."
As they stood outside the gate to the facility, at least two vans pulled up. Officers in plain clothes jumped out of the van and arrested a few protesters. Others began fighting back. A tense stand-off ensued as a bus with officers in riot gear pulled up to the scene.
Police grabbed some protesters out of the crowd, throwing them to the ground and dragging them away. Others streamed away from the area, crying. Three stood nearby consoling each other and hugging.
A woman who said she was arrested while peacefully protesting yesterday described the conditions inside the detention facility to CTV. She said protesters were housed in cages, some without benches.
A video posted to YouTube shows police in riot gear attempting disperse a non-violent protesters at Queen's Park, next to the provincial legislature, on Saturday. Officers can be seen grabbing protesters out of the crowd and assaulting them.
ORIGINAL STORY FOLLOWS BELOW VIDEO
The following video was posted to YouTube by user forzaferrarif1fan.
TORONTO -- Reporters covering the G20 summit in Toronto say they were the target of police violence overnight, as riots blamed on anarchist groups left four police cars burning in the financial district and resulted in the arrests of some 150 people.
"A newspaper photographer was shot with a plastic bullet in the backside, while another had an officer point a gun in his face despite identifying himself as a member of the media," reported the Canadian Press news agency. The agency did not say if it was its own reporters who were targeted.
(original link-video)
