Police and counter-protesters clash in Quebec City outside right-wing event

Protesters clash in Quebec City Black bloc protesters clashed with police outside of a protest march by people opposed to immigration

Quebec City police in riot gear clashed with protesters on Sunday as a counter demonstration that was organized in opposition to a planned right-wing event turned violent.

Several hundred people gathered around a building to oppose a gathering planned by La Meute, or “the Wolf-pack”-- a group considered close to the far right.

But before they could protest, La Meute was silenced by a swell of hostile counter-protesters.

A group, referring to themselves as anti-fascists, bussed in from Montreal and was determined to counter a rally organized by right-wing groups who are opposed to the flow of asylum seekers crossing the border from the United States.

Several dozen people used the same "Black Bloc" tactics that have been used in anti-police demonstrations in Montreal for years: dressing in black, wearing masks, and not shying away from violent confrontations with police.

Masked members of the counter protest chanted “everyone hates racists” in the presence of police.

Other, more unruly protestors were seen throwing beer bottles at the police, who were trying to keep them away from an underground parking garage,

Escorted by police, some of the protesters from La Meute had taken refuge within the building to strategize.

Police told them not to leave the garage for safety reasons, and also to prevent tensions from mounting further between the two groups.

Fireworks were thrown and smoke bombs were placed in garbage cans, as well as a rolling dumpster, as police and demonstrators clashed in encounters on nearby streets.

Some protestors even threw chairs taken from the terraces of restaurants in Old Quebec.

At least two journalists were attacked by demonstrators, and in one incident, damaging camera equipment.

Police said on Twitter that the event was eventually declared illegal due to "acts of violence and vandalism," citing the criminal code.

Members of La Meute remained in the garage to avoid arrest following the announcement that the gathering was illegal.

While the situation seemed to have calmed down by 3 p.m., tensions flared an hour later.

Quebec City police began to push back against the anti-fascist protestors,

Jaggi Singh, a Montreal-based activist, was subdued by police and arrested.

Quebec City police said at least one person had been arrested, and three officers temporarily out of commission after reacting to a chemical irritant released by protestors.

They added that a number of these counter protestors committed "acts of violence, vandalism, and several criminal infractions."

La Meute explained earlier this week that their gathering was to protest the policies of the federal and Quebec governments in the face of "the scourge of illegal immigration" and to call for more resources for officials at the border.

Members of La Meute say they’re against asylum seekers entering Canada through illegal passages, as well as Islam.

However, La Meute was in possession of a permit allowing them to protest, and Quebec City police asserted that the group was within their rights to demonstrate for their cause.

The counter-protest was organized by anti-fascist and pro-refugee groups after at least two Quebecers were identified participating in a white supremacist rally earlier this month in Charlottesville, Va.

One of them, outed as a member of La Meute, was suspended from the group pending an investigation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the press in Montreal before the protest was scheduled to begin.

“I am proud to be Canadian, I am proud to be a Quebecer, and I am proud to stand with millions of Canadians who reject the hateful, harmful, heinous ideologies that we’ve seen in dark corners of both the Internet and our communities from time to time,” Trudeau said, adding that a small “angry, frustrated group of racists don’t get to define who we are as a country.”

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard took to social media to condemn what he called the "violence and intimidation" of the situation.

"We are living in a democracy where respect must be the norm and not the exception," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux also used social media to denounce the flare-up in Quebec City.

As of 6:30 p.m., Quebec City police announced via Twitter that the situation was progressively calming and returning to normal.

The second phase of the protest, when members of La Meute finally left the garage, carried out in an orderly fashion "respecting the laws and rules in effect," Quebec City police said in a statement.

Police also urged any victims of incidental vandalism to come forward and file a formal report, as an investigation into the events is ongoing, and arrests may still be pending.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTVnews.ca