Police and protesters face off during anti-G7 ‘day of disruption’ in Quebec City

QUEBEC – Police chased anti-G7 protesters through the streets of Quebec City Friday, as small pockets of activists carried out a series of actions aimed at tiring out security forces and disrupting activities related to the summit.

Activists declared victory in the early morning after they managed to close a major road for one hour that led to the summit site in La Malbaie, and protesters played cat and mouse with police throughout the rest of the day.

There were reports of a handful of arrests but Quebec City police wouldn't confirm the number.

"I don't believe in democracy any more," said one 28-year-old tattooed protester, who went by the name of Cantsin. "A lot of people here will tell you the same thing."

A few hours after the morning protest, city police were forced to close the northbound direction of a major boulevard for about an hour after protesters set fire to lawn chairs and two couches in the middle of the road.

Later, dozens of armed officers could be seen marching two-by-two through the narrow streets of Old Quebec City, banging batons on their plastic shields as they ordered small groups of protesters to disperse.

Around noon, activists gathered in a shady park not far from the provincial legislature buildings, where their anti-capitalist peers set up a kitchen and served couscous, minestrone soup and bread pudding.

Danielle Lambert, 58, said she wants wealth to be redistributed in society by having governments get serious about going after offshore tax havens.

"It's the least they can do," she said, eating her couscous.

Her friend, Marie-Christine Gagnon, 38, called the G7 meetings a "big charade."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks about the environment and then uses tax dollars to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan for $4.5-billion, she said.

Moreover, she said security forces tracked her to a campsite in the lead-up to the G7 summit and asked around about her.

"The RCMP went to a campsite where my boyfriend worked, they asked the owners if they knew me, if I was staying there.

"I used to go to protests when I worked at a community organization; I used to lead chants. But it's been a year since I changed jobs. I don't even have a criminal record."

By mid-afternoon, a few dozen protesters were facing off with police on the Plains of Abraham. Many were dressed in black and masked, as police in riot gear slowly surrounded the park.

Not all the demonstrations in Quebec City on Friday required a police presence.

About 75 students from around the country travelled to the city with the World Vision humanitarian organization in support of girls living in conflict and disaster.

Students wore white graduation robes and walked around the legislature buildings. A few of them wore black robes, symbolizing a specific woman for which they were marching.

Toronto-native Cherie Wai, from University of Waterloo, was marching on behalf of Fatuma, a woman from Somalia who fled violence in her country and lived in a refugee camp in Kenya.

"She worked really hard and got a scholarship to study in one of the best schools in Kenya and now she is studying at the University of Toronto in Health Science," Wai said.

Earlier in the morning, protesters cheered after a demonstration that stopped traffic for about one hour on a road outside Quebec City leading to La Malbaie.

Protesters, mostly young and clad in black, gathered in a parking lot north of Quebec City by a road overlooking the St. Lawrence River and began marching in the street chanting anti-capitalist slogans.

But police dressed in riot gear were ready, and stood in formation at every corner of the intersection, blocking all exits.

Protesters, trapped with nowhere to go, had no choice but to walk in a circle.

A tense standoff lasted about one hour.

"This is still a victory," said a man yelling into a loudspeaker. "They shut down the legislature; 10,000 provincial civil servants were told to stay home; daycares have been closed. And we shut the road down leading to La Malbaie!" he said to cheers.

The G7 summit is an annual gathering of the leaders from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan and Italy — which represent the majority of global wealth. The European Union also attends the summit as do other dignitaries from around the world.