Police, protesters clash at Montreal anti-brutality march
Last Updated: Saturday, March 15, 2008 | 9:33 PM ET
The Canadian Press
A Montreal protest condemning police brutality turned violent on Saturday, with police arresting about 20 people.
Officers in full riot gear clashed with the group of 200 protesters. Several marchers launched beer bottles, snowballs and chunks of ice at police, passersby and members of the media.
A demonstrator tries to avoid riot police in Montreal during a protest Saturday against police brutality. No one was injured, but 20 people were arrested.
(Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)
Montreal police Const. Lynne Labelle said a Molotov cocktail was thrown into a car, but no one was injured in the clashes.
In one melee, demonstrators smashed the windows of a police van with wooden sticks and tried to snatch equipment. They also damaged cars and broke several storefront windows as they snaked their way through Montreal's core.
Dozens of officers and police cruisers swarmed the streets while a helicopter circled overhead.
A number of marchers carried signs bearing the name of Michel Berniquez, who died in hospital in 2003 shortly after police arrested him. A coroner's report said Berniquez, 45, died of heart failure, probably brought on in part by cocaine use.
With files from the Canadian Press
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