G20 protesters set up tent city in Allan Gardens

Protesters set up a tent city at Allan Gardens under the watchful eye of police, Friday.

Earlier in the day, thousands of demonstrators from a number of organizations started their march at Allan Gardens park, near Sherbourne and Carlton streets, and continued to rally through the downtown core.

There were several tense moments as protesters and police squared off.
br> Police had to create a line across University Avenue at Elm Street to attempt to stop protesters from going further south.

And at one point, anti-G20 protesters pounded on the windows of the Winners at Yonge and College streets.

Further chaos erupted when police moved in to clear a crowd that had descended on officers making an arrest, near police headquarters.

Jessy, a freelance cameraman, wound up with a swollen lip and a cut gum.

“Yes, I did go right in with the camera because I wanted to get a shot of the footage. One thing they do when they make an arrest is create a second barrier to keep everyone else away, so I wanted to remain on the other side of the barrier that they made […] at which point I was attacked. I was punched in the face twice […] and then my mike was stolen.

The man that was taken into police custody was deaf.

Angry protesters gathered at the temporary jail, located on Eastern Avenue and demanded a sign language interpreter be provided.

“He’s deaf, completely deaf […]. Imagine if you were put under arrest and you cannot speak, you cannot hear. Furthermore, he was handcuffed so if your hands are behind your back, can you sign? […] No,” one demonstrator said.

The Integrated Security Unit were forced to close the gates to the G20 Summit security perimeter fence earlier than expected.

The group — comprised of about 2,000 protesters — was easily the largest to date, with the summit set to begin Saturday.

Organizations in attendance included Coalition Against Poverty, Justice for Our Communities and No One is Illegal.

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