{"article":{"id":85,"heading":"toronto riot","author":"asdfdf","created":"2000-06-16 21:45:14","modified":"2003-03-28 23:25:46","last_modified":"Sat, 29 Mar 2003 06:25:46","article":"
Protesters, police clash at
Ontario legislature
WebPosted Thu Jun 15 19:50:00 2000
TORONTO - About 1,000 demonstrators
demanding the Ontario government do more
to help the homeless clashed with riot police
at the legislature Thursday afternoon.
Protesters threw
Molotov cocktails
and heavy rocks
from a garden as
police in riot gear,
some on
horseback,
charged repeatedly
to disperse the
angry crowd.
VIEWPOINT: Judy Rebick on 'Pitch battle at
Harris's door'
A fire broke out on the steps of the legislature
as explosives were lobbed. Some protesters
were clubbed by police officers carrying
shields and batons. Others were hit with
bursts of pepper spray.
At least 20 people were injured, including 15
police officers, in the half-hour confrontation.
Authorities said 18 protesters were arrested.
Witnesses said violence erupted when some
protesters were turned back from the front
doors of the legislature.
A delegation of
anti-poverty groups
and homeless
advocates had
tried to get into the
chamber to talk to
politicians. After
police told them
they couldn't enter, the protesters returned to
the building's front steps.
Officers then started herding the crowd away
from the legislature, pushing protesters
towards a park where homeless people often
sleep.
About 50 police officers charged the crowd,
who responded by hurling rocks and other
objects. As police smashed demonstrators
with shields and clubs, some protesters
battled back with placards and their fists.
Toronto police
defended their
decision to use
force to disperse
the crowd. Officers
argued that it was
clear many of the
demonstrators
came looking for a
fight because they
arrived with helmets and gas masks.\n","contact":"sdfsdf","link":"asdfasdf","address":"asfasdf","phone":"sdafasdf","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"police repress toronto activists. protestors respond with molotovs.","numcomment":1,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2000\/06\/85.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":42603,"heading":".","article":"Call to action....3 years late.","author":"Horrible","parent_id":85,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-03-28 23:25:46","modified":"2003-03-28 23:25:46","fileurl":""}]}