As world leaders gathered in the Charlevoix region of the province of Quebec on Thursday for the G7 Summit, protesters were already getting organized and would hit the street that evening, with rolling protests the following days throughout the summit.
The government spent $600 million on the overall organization of the Summit, with 70 per cent purely for security. The total of about $420 million paid for between 8,000 and 9,000 security personnel. Authorities were criticized for the presence of police officers equipped with 5.56mm assault rifles, variants of the American M-4 or Canadian equivalent C-8 rifles.
While protests at these summits have been intense in the past, leading the authorities to anticipate the worst, the protests here were small in numbers and tame in intensity, allowing for some surreal scenes where more cops and journalists were seen than protesters. At most, a few hundred people took part in the largest march, held Thursday night, which ended peacefully and with three people arrested.
Friday's protests started in Beauport early in the morning, about five kilometers away from the International Media Centre in downtown Quebec City, and were followed by another around noon, and a final mid afternoon, ending in a kettle maneuver by the authorities on the historic Plains of Abraham.
Police actions appeared heavy-handed at times, but overall restrained. On Thursday evening, as the largely peaceful march approached the media centre at the Centre des Congrès de Québec, local authorities ordered journalists inside and locked down the building, preventing journalists that were not already outside the wire from covering the protest. On Friday, journalists were also kept away from observing and photographing the arrest of militants, and a photojournalist was pushed down a steep hill by a police officer on the Plains of Abraham, resulting in a 20-meter tumble drop. Still, there were no reports of less-than-lethal weapons or tear gas being used.
Anti-G7 activists planned protests in Quebec City Saturday, as the summit wrapped, including a large march through the streets of the historic old quarter and to culminate with a comedy show at a community centre to include popular performers Fred Dubé and Guillaume Wagner.
Here are the events of the previous two days in images.
Riot police and journalists close in on the protest that was declared illegal in downtown Quebec City on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault.
Behind the initial line of militants, furniture had been set up as a makeshift barricade and was set on fire before protesters retreated, resulting in the most flamboyant action of the day, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
This militant was defiantly churning out rock tunes on his guitar and portable amplifier (in that very moment, Dick Dale's Misirlou made famous by Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction) while walking right in front of the riot police's front line with a smoldering burned out couch in the background, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
This modern-day minstrel boy is leading a small protest in the narrow streets of Quebec City after it had been declared illegal by the authorities, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
This protest, was organized and led by Réseau de Résistance Anti-G7 and made its way peacefully through the streets of the city while trying to avoid the heavy riot police presence closing in on them, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
Riot police had been chasing protesters from the initial protest into the streets of Quebec City's High City neighbourhood, trapping a handful who were seen running away in this alley and keeping the journalists at bay, preventing proper coverage of the actual arrest, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
These residents voiced their indignation at the riot police who had chased protesters down their alley, where multiple officers were arresting an older woman, before moving the journalists away, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
This older woman was getting arrested after taking part in a protest and having been chased down an alley by over 20 police officers, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
This young man had been chased down an alley, trapped, and arrested by the riot police, after taking part in a protest that had been deemed illegal by the authorities, on June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
Reinforcements are on their way to the lines of riot police kettling a small number of protesters on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, on the last action of Friday, June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
A line of riot police is spread thinly on the Plains of Abrahams blocks possible, but peaceful, protesters from leaving the perimeter in Quebec City at the end of the last action against the G7 Summit, on Friday, June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
About 8,000 security personnel were present between Quebec City and Charlevoix. This Quebec City police officer was equipped with a recent 40mm grenade launcher that could be used to deploy tear gas or other less-than-lethal ammunition, on the plains of Abraham in Quebec City, on Friday, June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
Police officers from multiple forces were on site, such as this militarized RCMP officer in full tactical gear, seen carrying a 5.56mm assault rifle, a Canadian version of the American M-4, and a highly non-tactical water bottle with a bright orange cap sticking out of his backpack, in Quebec City, on Thursday evening, June 8th, 2018. Photo by Alex Tétreault
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