"the scattered demonstrations were largely peaceful as authorities closed offstreets and responded to any protests with ranks of policein riot gear"
June 10, 2018 / 4:01 AM Heavy security quells scattered protests at Canada G7 summit Anna Mehler Paperny; Kevin Dougherty QUEBECCITY, Quebec (Reuters) - A heavy police presence and an isolated summit sitethwarted protesters at the Group of Seven meeting in Canada on Saturday,dousing all but a smattering of demonstrations against the powerful worldleaders. Riot police followdemonstrators during a protest march at the G7 Summit in Quebec City, Quebec,Canada, June 9, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie WithU.S. President Donald Trump and top U.S. allies huddled at a luxury hotel,almost unreachable due to heavy security, groups intent on disrupting thegathering were left to march through quiet city streets 140 kilometers (87miles) away. Tenpeople were arrested in connection with anti-G7 protests Thursday and Fridaybut the scattered demonstrations were largely peaceful as authorities closedoff streets and responded to any protests with ranks of police in riot gear. “Theway we see it, we were ready for all eventualities,” said Royal CanadianMounted Police spokesman Philippe Gravel. Riot police watchdemonstrators during a protest march at the G7 Summit in Quebec City, Quebec,Canada, June 9, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie Quebec’sprovincial legislature was closed in the lead-up to the summit, thousands ofcivil servants were sent home and several downtown businesses boarded up theirwindows in anticipation of violence that never came. Othersummits have gone differently: Protests at the G20 in Toronto in 2010 turnedviolent amid riots and a police crackdown. Police teargassed protesters at theThird Summit of the Americas in 2001. A protester was shot dead by riot policeat the G8 summit in Italy in 2001. Twiceon Friday demonstrators sought to block highways leading from Quebec City tothe resort in La Malbaie where leaders met for the two-day summit. Thesecond time they succeeded briefly, as about two dozen protesters faced offwith riot police. After a few minutes of chanting the protesters set furnitureon fire and fled. RogerRashi, who organized a forum to discuss G7 issues such as gender equality andclimate change in Quebec City, said the low turnout was partly due to a lack oforganization and partly scare tactics by authorities. “Wehave been warned over and over ... don’t even daydream about doing somethingthey tell you not to do,” Rashi said. Deployingheavily armed police scares people, said Nicole Filion, a coordinator with LaLigue des droits et libertés, a civil liberties group observing thedemonstrations. “It’snot a context that is favorable for the right to protest.” Still,protester Yannick St.-Jacques Lauriault said the group succeeded despite thelow turnout in shutting down Quebec’s legislature and briefly blocking accessto the summit highway. “Forsuch a small group of people, I think that’s a success.” Reporting by AnnaMehler Paperny; Editing by Susan Thomas
