Congo protesters clash with police at U.S. Consulate
Posted December 6, 2011 1:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Two people have been arrested and an officer suffered minor injuries after protesters clashed with police in front of the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue.
Police called for city-wide assistance just after 1 p.m. following reports that protesters were throwing objects at officers.
Close to 400 people gathered to protest the Congo elections, which have been plagued by accusations of rigging.
“We are here today to protest the result of the election which will be published tonight in the Congo,” said one protester. “We are being robbed again.”
“The same democracy that Canada shares and respects so much, we want the same democracy in Congo as well,” another stressed.
Following the first arrest a group of protesters surrounded a police cruiser, attempting to prevent it from leaving. That led to a tense scuffle, as police tried to contain the increasingly agitated crowd.
Several protesters laid down in front of the cruiser before being carried away by officers.
Bantshi Mbakama, 45, of Toronto, is facing charges of unlawful assembly, attempted forced entry (of the U.S. Consulate), and two counts of assaulting police. Fataki Martin, 26, of Toronto, has been charged with unlawful assembly and two counts of assaulting a police officer. Both will appear in court Wednesday morning.
University Ave., was closed for about an hour before being reopened to traffic shortly after 2 p.m.
After the area was cleared protesters made their way to Queen’s Park. There were no further incidents.
