The summit may be over, but the outrage continues. Two weeks after thousands of demonstrators welcomed world leaders for a weekend of meetings in Toronto, protests over police handling of the event continues.
Thousands of people marched in cities across Canada Saturday, united in their calls for an independent public inquiry into security during the G20 summit.
Endorsed by a wide array of activist organizations, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress and Greenpeace Canada, the so-called "Day of Action for Civil Liberties" saw a crowd of approximately 1,000 rally on the steps of the Ontario provincial legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto.
Protesters also rallied in Kingston, Ont., Halifax and Montreal. More demonstrations are planned for the next week in Winnipeg and Vancouver.
Nora Loreto of Civil Liberties Now said organizers believe police overreacted to the thousands of protesters who took to Toronto's streets to protest the gathering of leaders of the G20 nations.
"There were a lot of questionable tactics that were undertaken by the police during the G20 summit, and a lot of powers that a lot of people call into question," Loreto told CTV News Channel Saturday.
"So the purpose of today's rally is to put forward a united front and call on all levels of government to implement an independent public inquiry so we can find out who was making the decisions, why they made the decisions that they made, and how come so many people got arrested?"
More than 1,000 people were detained during the weekend of June 26 and 27, when protests against the G20 summit turned violent. By the summit's end, police had set a record for the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.
More than 700 of those arrested were released without charge within 24 hours. Another 250 are facing various charges.
On June 26, as world leaders met well behind a specially-contructed security cordon, thousands of peaceful protesters followed a designated march route through the downtown core. At one point, however, others engaged in so-called "Black Bloc" tactics broke away from the main group, damaging buildings and burning police cars.
The next day, police charged a group of demonstrators at a so-called safe zone at the Ontario legislature, and also clashed with protesters during what began as a peaceful demonstration at a temporary detention centre.
Earlier this week, the Toronto Police Services Board approved an independent civilian review of police conduct during the summit. But Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has said he will not call a public inquiry into police actions.
