Ottawa may be the next stop for protesters who yesterday clashed with police outside the G-7 finance ministers' meeting in Halifax.
The protest, which started peacefully outside the Halifax convention centre, turned nasty last night as demonstrators armed with marbles and ball-bearings pressed against a line of police in riot gear.
The crowd, bearing such diverse signs as "Long Live Palestine" and "Dissent is Not A Crime," scattered when heavily armed police threw several tear gas canisters and used stun guns on protesters.
"It's about equality, where some people are not so rich that they can run everybody else's lives," said protester Scott Barber, who was hit by seven police stun gun blasts.
About 20 people were arrested following scuffles with police and an RCMP riot squad -- largely after the majority of the ministers from the world's wealthiest nations had finished their two-day meeting.
Development aid had dominated yesterday's agenda, with the finance ministers drafting the fiscal blueprint for the upcoming G-8 summit, said Finance Minister John Manley.
Officials in Ottawa are keeping a close eye on the Halifax protests, as they gear up for possible violence when G-8 demonstrators come to town later this month.
Protesters plan to "Take The Capital" and liberate it from capitalism on June 26-27, as the G-8 leaders kick off their meetings in Kananaskis, Alta.
Even though those meetings will take place thousands of kilometres away, protesters from across Ontario and Quebec are expected to descend on Ottawa because, they say, the offices that write and enforce capitalist policies are here.
The group is planning gatherings, snake marches and general disruption in the city. Organizers have refused to condemn violence or co-operate with police.
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