Podcast

Hundreds held in protest

Updated: 2010-06-28 13:17

 

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At least three police cars were set ablaze by protesters and shop windows were smashed in Toronto as demonstrators took to the streets against the G20 summit.

Hundreds of police in riot gear descended on the Ontario Legislative Building late Saturday afternoon to disperse demonstrators after protests turned violent.

At least 400 people were arrested by police using shields, clubs, tear gas and pepper spray to push back the protesters, Toronto police said Sunday.

The two-day summit is estimated to cost almost $2 billion, about double the original budget. More than half of the sum is being spent on security.

A China Daily reporter saw one protester pressed to the ground by several policemen and taken away into the police blockade.

A roving band of protesters wearing black hoods shattered shop windows along stretches of blocks, including windows at police headquarters, then continued to rampage through downtown Toronto, according to the Associated Press.

Police cleared the area around the legislative building - which had been designated for protests - plus the University of Toronto's main campus. However, protesters gathered again near the university later at night.

Most shops downtown closed early Saturday afternoon.

Buses and streetcars stopped operation in the streets where protesters gathered. Some subway stations also closed.

Many of the demonstrators are college students who were expressing their anger at the amount of money the Canadian government spent on G8 and G20 summits.

One protester held a poster reading: "One billion for education, not for fortification."

Malissa Goldstein, a communication expert, joined the protest on Friday for the "infringement to our civil liberties," she said.

She was especially against a series of government budget cuts that "weaken our efforts to protect the environment, deal with climate change and challenge women's rights," she said.

These budget cuts do not square with millions that the Canadian government is spending on the G8 and G20 summit, she said.

"One has to wonder where the government's priorities are," she said.

Questions:

1. How many protesters were arrested in Toronto?

2. Why are they protesting?

3. How much is the government spending?

Answers:

1. At least 400 people were arrested by police using shields, clubs, tear gas and pepper spray to push back the protesters.

2. Many of the demonstrators are college students who were expressing their anger at the amount of money the Canadian government spent on G8 and G20 summits.

3. The two-day summit is estimated to cost almost $2 billion, about double the original budget. More than half of the sum is being spent on security.

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（中國日報網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.