Police peacefully clear protest in Quebec City suburb
Anti-g7 protesters declared victory Friday after an early-morning demonstration that stopped tra c for about one hour on a road outside Quebec City leading to the summit site of La Malbaie.
Protesters, mostly young and clad in black, gathered in a parking lot north of Quebec City by a road overlooking the St. Lawrence River and began marching in the street chanting anti-capitalist slogans.
But police dressed in riot gear were ready, and stood in formation at every corner of the intersection, blocking all exits.
An officer yelled through a loudspeaker that the protest was illegal because demonstrators didn’t provide police with their march route prior to the demonstration.
Protesters, trapped with nowhere to go, had no choice but to walk in a circle.
A tense stando lasted about one hour.
“I want socialism,” said William, 22, who didn’t want to give his family name. “I’m against this G7. I’m against seven people running the planet.”
e G7 summit is an annual and informal gathering of the leaders from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan and Italy — which represent the majority of global wealth. The European Union also attends the summit as do other dignitaries from around the world.
Samy Camus, 23, said he doesn’t like the economic system in Canada at the moment. “But I don’t know what I want to replace it with.”
Protesters screamed at police, but remained peaceful and civil.
After about 45 minutes into the stando , one ank of o cers began slowly closing in on protesters.
Shortly after, o cers without the imposing riot gear of their colleagues, wearing yellow vests and helmets, began politely asking protesters to move o the street and onto the sidewalk.
They grudgingly obliged and the protest ended calmly. ere were no apparent arrests. “ is is still a victory,” said a man yelling into a loudspeaker. “ ey shut down the legislature; 10,000 provincial civil servants were told to stay home; daycares have been closed. And we shut the road down leading to La Malbaie!” he said to cheers.
As the street re-opened to traf c, protesters lazed around on grassy patches between the road and the parking lots of fast-food restaurants.
Environmental groups, anticapitalists and other activists are planning several protest actions today.