- (PA) -- Holding up signs calling US president George
Bush a "war criminal" and "liar," several thousand
demonstrators marched on the parliament buildings in Canada's capital
Ottawa
to protest against his visit, the US-led war in Iraq and a host of other
issues.
-
- Protest organisers said yesterday's march drew at least
13,000 people, many of whom rode buses overnight from across Ontario and
Quebec, but police put the figure at closer to 5,000.
-
- Twelve protesters were arrested after they clashed with
riot police, officers said. One police officer was reported injured.
-
- Making his first official visit to Canada, Bush was
welcomed
by many placards and signs along his motorcade route, including a truck
parked nearby that was emblazoned with the phrase "Bush is a war
criminal".
Another placard branded him an "assassin".
-
- Much of the anger seemed focused on the US invasion of
Iraq. Canada decided against sending troops to Iraq ñ a stand
supported
by more than 80% of Canadians.
-
- "Canada is not against America. We're totally
against
Bush," explained Fredric White, a 40-year-old who works for an
entertainment
company.
-
- "He's arrogant and ignorant. We totally disdain
his policies on the war and his treatment of the UN. The administration
has an imperialist attitude where he thinks he can take over countries
by bombing them."
-
- An Ipsos-Reid/CTV poll released yesterday shows 58% of
Canadians think Bush's re-election was a "bad thing", while 26%
believed it was good. The poll surveyed 1,000 Canadians and had an margin
of error of 3.1 percentage points.
-
- Protesters also voiced disapproval over trade issues,
such as the US ban on Canadian beef, and American efforts to get Canada
involved in the continental missile defence shield, sometimes called Star
Wars.
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- ©2004 Scotsman.com
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- http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3827302
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