Protesters occupying Nathan Phillips Square dismantle encampment

TORONTO — Protesters at Nathan Phillips Square are packing up their tents today after occupying the square for the past three weeks.

Several city hall security guards were on hand as protesters took down their encampment this morning.

The group, who are part of the “Afro-Indigenous Rising Collective,” set up dozens of tents in Nathan Phillips Square following a peaceful demonstration on June 19 and continued to occupy the area in protest of police brutality.

Last Friday, a trespassing notice was issued, ordering them to remove their encampments by Monday, but the group refused to go.

Earlier this week, City of Toronto spokesperson Brad Ross said officials were hopeful that the protesters would comply with the order on their own.

Now that the encampment has been dismantled, Ross said the group is welcome to come back and protest without the tents, open flames, or generators.

"We are grateful that the group removed their tents and other equipment. People are permitted to protest on the square. It is a public square. What they are not permitted to do though is to set up tents, to camp, to have open flames, generators and the like," he said.

"So that was removed this morning. It happened peacefully."

He noted that while one person was detained by city hall security, no arrests were made this morning.

"One individual was detained earlier for being in the area we had marked off where the tents were coming down and refused to leave. So they were detained and later released," he said.

"Overall since June 19 when the group did set up on the square, for the most part it has been peaceful and that is really the goal and objective for any protest is that it remain peaceful."

Ross said staff members with the city's Streets to Homes program were also at Nathan Phillips Square today to provide support to anyone experiencing homelessness.

"There were some people who are homeless who were on the square and our Streets to Homes team were there as well and have provided accommodation for those individuals," he said.