G20 arrests now tally 550

Toronto endures 2nd day of summit tensions

Police fired at least half a dozen rubber bullets at protesters in Toronto's east end on Sunday afternoon, arresting several people as the city remained on edge a day after a downtown rampage by militant activists.

By early afternoon Sunday, 550 people had been arrested over the two days, 480 of them during the most violent protests on Saturday.

A group of protesters moves along Queen Street East in Toronto, heading for the police detention centre nearby. (Cheryl Krawchuk/CBC)

The police action in the east end began after about 150 protesters started staging a peaceful gathering outside the makeshift G20 police detention centre at Eastern and Pape avenues, while police in riot gear looked on.

At one point, plainclothes police arrived, entered the crowd and began to arrest several people.

"They knew who they were looking for," said the CBC's Bill Gillespie. "These are trained police snatch squads using intelligence on finding suspected troublemakers."

At the same time, police formed a line in front of the crowd, urging the protesters to "move back." They then opened fire with rubber bullets, Gillespie said. The crowd began to move away from the detention centre area, returning north to Queen Steet East, he said.

Meanwhile, downtown traffic was tied up in the heart of the city for a time as a group of cyclists staged a protest, moving through normally busy arteries such as Yonge Street in the downtown core. The rally, promoted as a "festive parade" in support of rights for cyclists, was one of several afternoon anti-G20 events.

Tim Middleton and his wife were seen towing their children, Emeth, 3, and Istra, 5, in carts behind their bikes. Middleton told CBC News that a police officer had warned his family to "stay back" in case of tear gas, but he and his wife thought the situation was safe and decided to ride on.

Other gatherings included a prayer vigil at St. James Anglican Cathedral at King and Church streets, and a demonstration at Bruce Mackey Park in the east end, not far from Jimmy Simpson Park where a morning rally was held.

Earlier in the day, dozens of people were arrested at the University of Toronto.

Black clothing, weapons found

About 70 people were rounded up in the morning after police found street-type weapons and black clothing hidden in bushes. It's believed the bricks were to be used by anarchists who caused widespread damage on Saturday.

Several handcuffed people were seen being taken into waiting police buses or, in at least one instance, a court services vehicle.

One man dressed in black told CBC News: "I was there to peacefully protest."

"We were sleeping," another man said as he was escorted into a police bus.

Const. Rob McDonald told reporters it was his understanding that people from various places across Canada have been arrested.

"They were found in possession of bricks and other items that could compromise the safety of the citizens of Toronto."

Four other people were arrested in the early morning after they were caught coming out of a city sewer in the financial district on Queen Street West between Yonge and Bay streets.

Toronto police spokesman Sgt. Tim Burrows told CBC News that the four were arrested 2:25 a.m. ET "while leaving a maintenance hole cover, after being in the underground infrastructure of the tunnels."

Burrows said no explosives were found and "the security plan is well intact."

Elsewhere, a heavy police presence continued in the downtown area near the convention centre, a day after dozens of businesses, as well as police cars and other vehicles, were damaged.

In many parts of the downtown core, stores remain completely boarded up. Many of them on Yonge Street, including several jewelry stores, were deserted and covered up with plywood after being vandalized in Saturday's melee.

Most of the people walking around in the morning seemed to be tourists trying to understand what had happened, and police, CBC News Natasha Fatah reported.

The demonstration Saturday split into two parts, as protesters from a variety of causes marched while so-called Black Bloc anarchists — known for violent confrontation with authorities — tried repeatedly to break into the secure zone where leaders of the G20 are meeting.

Police moved to block the militants, who then smashed windows and spray-painted walls. Four police cars were set alight and hospitals and the Eaton Centre shopping mall were locked down.

Public transit bus, streetcar and subway service, along with the GO commuter train system, resumed normal operations on Sunday, after being partially closed down a day earlier due to the violence.

Source:http://www.cbc.ca