G7 Finance Ministers Meet, Others Protest

Note: for additional photos and coverage of various political issues surrounding the G8 which brought the protesters out in the first place, please see Maritimes Indymedia.

Friday

Day one. A well-attended rally -- featuring a local reggae band, and speeches by several local activists -- in the Halifax commons (a series of fields with skate parks, baseball diamonds, and bleachers) culminated in a peaceful march into downtown Halifax. Police easily outnumbered protesters, and initially blocked the march's planned route. Protesters gathered at the space closest to city hall and the "World Trade and Conference Center" (accounting for extensive police barriers), where the G7 Finance Ministers were meeting secretly, and giving the occasional press conference. Food Not Bombs served up a tasty late lunch, and a large group of protesters paraded through downtown Halifax into the evening. After running through a shopping mall (some protesters knocked down displays, while others helped set them back up), the group marched up citadel hill, an historic fortress and Halifax's highest point, before finally dispersing a few hours before dusk.

Saturday

Day two. A similar rally to Friday's featured a skit by members of Oxfam Canada, and the musical stylings of the Raging Grannies, a pan-Canadian organization of lefty grandmothers (pictured below). A similarly peaceful march stopped at the same barricades as the previous day, but at that point, things were a bit more rowdy. Some protesters used slingshots, others threw water balloons, which some have claimed were filled with something which smelled like vinegar or bleach. The barricades were quickly moved aside, and a few dozen activists sat directly in front of the police, linking arms and chanting. The uniformed police were quickly replaced with a line of cops in full riot gear and gas masks four or five deep. Two or three policemen or women (they could have been robots, since it was hard to see any human features through all the gear) stood ready with tear gas launchers. A bit after an altercation between a TV cameraman and several protesters (at least one TV camera's lens was spraypainted), several rounds (some reports say six) rounds of a mix of tear gas and pepper spray were fired into the crowd, followed by another round several minutes later. Several bystanders and camerapeople received the brunt of these attacks, but several volunteer medics were standing by with the necessary treatment.

Later, a large group of protesters marched through downtown streets. I left at that point to have dinner with a friend's grandparents, so I missed what went on, but the heavily armed police pictured below give some indication. Accounts from those who were there suggest that in the following hour, some protesters moved bricks and garbage cans into the street to prevent the police from approaching. Finally, police surrounded protesters, telling them to leave, but police on each side would tell them that they could not exit on their respective side. Then, everyone who did not get away in time was arrested. Protesters who were running away were chased down and knocked to the ground with batons. A few others were electrocuted with "tazer" guns. At least one protesters was hit in chest with pepper-spray ball shot from a gun at close range. Of the 36 arrested and detained, most were cuffed with plastic ties which left hands feeling numb for hours after they were removed. At least two were kept in a police van for close to five hours, and camera equipment, sweaters, and other clothes were taken away and not returned upon release.

All but two of the 36 were charged with "breach of peace", which is basically a non-offense. They were let go as soon as they were processed by the police bureaucracy. The last one to "breach the peace" was released at 6:45am. Two others were held for the more serious offenses of "disturbing the peace" and parole violations.