MONTREAL (CP) - Several hundred protesters were back on downtown Montreal streets Tuesday, hoping to disrupt a World Trade Organization meeting.
Demonstrators were prepared to face the consequences of police action, said Tamara Herman, spokeswoman for the Popular Mobilization Against the WTO.
"We know when we come here as political dissidents against the WTO mini-ministerial (meeting), we face repression, we face possible police brutality, so of course it does have some effect on some people," Herman said.
"The message today that we're sending out on the street is that our presence alone is a disruption."
Riot squads watched as protesters made their way through the streets near the Sheraton Centre, where trade ministers from about 25 countries were discussing various international trade issues.
As protesters passed a McDonald's restaurant, a security guard wearing a gas mask stood out front, hoping to ward off the kind of vandalism that saw protesters smash the windows of some retail outlets, including a Burger King, on Monday.
Herman said the arrest of more than 200 people on Monday may have put a chill on the number of demonstrators Tuesday.
Organizers said if police ordered the crowd to disperse, protesters would head to the courthouse to express solidarity with those already arrested.
Some of the protesters arrested Monday were fined $200 and others were kept behind bars. Those rounded up faced charges of mischief, obstructing justice and taking part in an illegal protest.
Dr. Amir Khadir, who was arrested Monday and then let go, said police were out to intimidate protesters with the mass arrests.
"A lot of people will probably be completely frozen by the fact it could happen again," Khadir said Tuesday. "This is exactly what needs to be corrected."
Khadir was asked to help out as a doctor and was rounded up with other protesters. He was detained for eight hours but wasn't charged.
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