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Happy 4th of July!

Protests Turn Violent Around G-20 Summit Site

Black-clad demonstrators broke off from a crowd of peaceful protesters at the World Summit, torching a police cruiser in the financial district and smashing windows with baseball bats and hammers.

Police with shields and clubs earlier pushed back another small group of demonstrators who tried to head south toward the security fence surrounding the perimeter of the Group of Twenty global economic summit site. Some demonstrators hurled bottles at police.

"This isn't our Toronto and my response is anger," Toronto Mayor David Miller told CP24 television. "Every Torontonian should be outraged by this."

Previous major world summits have attracted massive, raucous and sometimes destructive protests by anti-globalization forces. But so far the Canadian demonstrations have been smaller, with rain apparently discouraging some protesters.

Organizers of Saturday's demonstration were hoping to draw a crowd of 10,000, but only about half that number turned out.

The roving band of protesters in black balaclavas broke shop windows for blocks with baseball bats and hammers. They also broke windows at police headquarters.

Police spokeswoman Jillian Van Acker said officers employed tear gas a short distance from there.

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