Toronto police use teargas on G20 protesters

TORONTO (Agencies) Toronto police used tear gas and arrested 75 when a violent mob tried to hijack a peaceful protest by tens of thousands of people against the G20 summit here Saturday, the city’s police chief said.

“We have never seen this level of wanton criminality on our streets,” chief Bill Blair told a press conference hours after the protest, adding police were still scouring the streets fearing more trouble.
Some 30,000 people, according to rally organizers, marched against the G20 summit Saturday demonstrating in favor of social causes, in a largely peacefully rally until violence erupted on its fringes.
The main body of the march was a well-marshaled event, led by older activists and organized labor, but splinter groups of young hardliners scuffled with riot officers and set fire to three patrol cars.
At least three more vehicles and windows in downtown Toronto’s financial district were damaged, and the air was thick with the smell of vinegar-soaked rags used to ward off police tear gas.
Government spokesman Dimitri Soudas said: “Free speech is the principle of our democracy. But the thugs that prompted violence earlier today represent in no way shape or form the Canadian way of life.”
Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, which organized the main rally, also condemned the “destructive activities” of the “small group of anarchists,” lamenting that it distracted from unions’ message “that there can be no recovery from the economic crisis unless (G20 leaders) place a priority on the creation of good
jobs.”
Saturday’s arrests bring the number detained in summit-related incidents since mid-June to 107, for various charges including assault, wearing disguises, weapons and immigration violations and three separate bomb plots.
Canada spent more than a billion dollars to secure this week’s back-to-back G8 and G20 summits, hoping to avoid the serious street battles that marred recent gatherings of these global forums.

Economic recovery

Meanwhile world leaders moved away on Saturday from lockstep policy pledges to secure economic recovery, leaving countries leeway to chart their own courses in taming government debt and clamping down on banks to prevent another financial crisis.
The Group of 20 leaders, neared agreement on broad principles to halve their budget deficits within three years and toughen bank capital requirements, according to a draft communiqué obtained by Reuters.
But they are leaving room for each country to choose its own timetable.
China conceded that its yuan currency was a valid topic of discussion here, reversing its earlier opposition, as the G20 tries to make good on a promise to iron out imbalances between export-rich countries, such as China, and indebted consumer nations including the United States.
The shift toward tailor-made solutions — seen in the approach to budget deficits, bank reform and trade — contrasts with the last three G20 summits where they linked arms to combat the worst global recession in decades.
The draft document shows countries will be given a choice whether to levy taxes on banks to recoup bailout costs — Europe had pushed for a global tax — and can phase in stricter bank capital rules to fit national needs.
On trade, the draft ditches mention of a 2010 deadline for completing the Doha round of world trade talks, while the G8 proposed instead a focus on regional or bilateral deals.
A synchronized world recession has given way to a three-speed recovery, with Asia’s growth roaring ahead while the U.S. recovery plods along and Europe lags behind, making it harder for the G20 to agree on a one-size-fits-all approach.
“The scars of this crisis are still with us,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said.
“We all need to act to strengthen the prospects for growth. This will require different strategies in different countries. We are coming out of the crisis at different speeds.”
Trillions of dollars in stimulus spending, bank bailouts and emergency loans to combat the worst recession in decades have saddled governments with budget problems. Greece’s debt troubles have trained attention on the need to get public finances back on track.
The draft G20 statement acknowledges the multispeed recovery and the delicate balance needed between restoring budget discipline and sustaining growth.

Delicate balance

In Europe, the emphasis is on budget cuts to restore confidence. The United States wants the rest of the world to bolster domestic demand and not rely on Americans as consumers of last resort.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez said Europe’s focus on cutting deficits is “absolutely wrong,” citing her country’s searing experience with austerity which she said helped lead to a massive default in 2001.
Brazil’s Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the budget targets were “too tough”.
Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, struck a middle path saying that to ignore the debt burden could drive up borrowing costs, but cutting back too soon may worsen unemployment.
Earlier on Saturday, the Group of Eight advanced economies met at a lake resort north of Toronto and said the recovery was “fragile.” They pledged to work for a safer economic future.
“While the recovery consolidates, we are at a crossroads,” the G8 communiqué said.
“The emerging hope and optimism must be directed towards building the corporate world safer, fairer, more inclusive and sustainable in which a greater attention is paid to the improvement and evaluation of real well-being of residents.”

Source: Agencies