So I have to admit that after watching riot police and protestors right outside my workplace, it was all kind of intimidating, surreal and very weird. I work between Queen's Park and the American embassy which makes the area "attractive" to those protestors I am sure. Watching them carrying backpacks with riot helmets and black safety shoes makes you wonder what they are here to really "protest". Some were looking for trouble - too bad and I feel sorry for them because they seem so misguided, more like a thug. The police on the other hand were very professional and fast when they needed to be. It is something to see buses, vans, regiments marching into position in a matter of moments.

I was glad that we were under lockdown for a short while because at times you just never knew what was going to happen next. Several staff that I work with are from other countries and they were amazed to see this happen in Canada, as was I. I explained that this is really out of the ordinary, looks chaotic but at least no one was seriously injured. They said that in their country these protestors would simply "disappear" once they were apprehended - now that is scary!

Canada is still the best country in the world and these few protesters don't even know it.

Why in the world they hold these things in a major city knowing full well that this will happen is beyond me, except that I'll bet it has to do with justifying the use of OUR tax money to "test" our forces readiness to handle this sort of calamity (at the expense too of the disruption and damage to downtown business), and perhaps to try to throw out a net to catch some of the baddies.

My attitude is, why go looking for trouble?

P.S. Glad you got out unscathed!

Quoted from Ricker

Canada is still the best country in the world and these few protesters don't even know it.

I dunno about that, it can get pretty cold here at times.

Quoted from Ricker

Canada is still the best country in the world and these few protesters don't even know it.

... you've visited all the other ones to say that right?

Quoted from Mrhide

... you've visited all the other ones to say that right?

What he is saying is they are way more arrogant in his area.

Quoted from Mrhide

... you've visited all the other ones to say that right?

Yeah. We all know Quebec is the best country in the world. Sheesh.  

Quoted from cooke

Yeah. We all know Quebec is the best country in the world. Sheesh.  

Bwhahahaah

Hey dinna we win that war?

its true, some people just dont know how good they have it in their own country. Coming from someone who HAS been all over the world. Canada reigns. Its the people that screw it up, not the country, and these days, there are more and more idiots spreading their disease. And guess what? Most of those protesting idiots are 1st or 2nd generation immigrants anyways...meaning they left other worse off countries...probably due to horrid conditions, and they come over here and bring their stupid attitudes of entitlement with them. And citizens who's families have been here longer (just so I dont forget to mention the not so freshly immigrant crowd) , half of these people have never even left the city and have NO IDEA how much worse it is in other countries to begin with. Its just a parade of shame and ignorance.

Protesters can protest, and they did yesterday. All that other stuff was just idiots who want any excuse to throw rocks and break stuff...completely different group of people, and maybe we outta throw rocks at them.

I think the police should have the right to just shoot the fuckers...

If I am a cop and see some a**hole jumping up and down on my cruiser lighting it on fire... I tell him/her 3 Times step down, hjands behind your back and kneel to be cuffed...

They don't comply I use leather force... done...

Shoot a couple I bet the rest of them would back off...

Really rather than protest and travel I may add to each of these g8/g20 meetings...use your resources to go to the countries you are protesting for...and I dunno MAYBE help them, rather than talk about it. if it is that close to your heart go and help...

Like that tool from Hamilton in the paper today, whining because he got shot by a rubber bullet... waaaa to bad; your lucky it wasn't a real one....best part of the story was him comparing this one to the last one he traveled to in PA, sounded like he made a career of protesting...

I think part of the problem is our government insists on doing this type of thing in major city centers. Halifax, Toronto etc..It provides a opportunity for these protestors to socially network, leverage thier own logistics, and avoid any type of community/social responsibililty because of the large scale "mob" mentality.

These meetings should be held in Goose bay or Iqaluit. That way (I think) these trouble makers would have to spend a fortune to get there (instead of just taking the bus), and be forced to deal with a small close knit community when deciding to destroy the local infastructure.

The cost may be high to build the extra infrastructure, but from what I'm hearing it's pretty damn high anyways. Might as well invest our tax dollars into Northern development if we're going to piss it away on hotels and private security.

Police are the last people we need to give shoot to kill orders.. There's a simpler & better way..

We let the army patrol the streets at night with shoot to kill orders to protect property from graffit assaults.

there probably will be a few deaths but it will send the message we don't tolerate bullshit.. once they start to think twice about even using spray cans, they'll think even less about nilistic destruction of property when the cameras of the world are focused on an event.


The problem will go away but history has sadly taught us, it will be even harder to get rid of the miltary prescence afterwards

The police should be taught that these masked people are really MOOSE!    

Don't do this bullsh*t like threaten to block highways and beg to get out of HST either.   We don't protest enough in Canada, but gotta learn how to protest, too.