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At the march, officers piled on one protester to catcalls from the crowd and quickly hustled him away. Once the march was declared illegal, other protesters were scooped from the mob and police tightened their cordon.

They stopped people and rooted through their bags and backpacks. Wedge formations were used to split the crowd into smaller groups and steer them off into side streets. Pockets were quickly dispersed and some areas were blocked off as people were herded along or rounded up.

By the end of the evening, more than 200 people had been detained and given $637 fines for violating municipal bylaws and 12 others had been arrested for criminal acts including possession of incendiary materials, assault on a police officer, mischief and making threats.

Two groups of those detained had been rounded up in mass arrests in the city’s downtown, said Lafreniere. He also said a number of people were arrested before the protest on a variety of charges.

At least six people — four demonstrators and two police officers — were injured. None of the injuries is life-threatening. One police officer got kicked in the face, Lafreniere said.

One police vehicle was vandalized during the march and two store windows were damaged.

Police also seized a number of items such as golf balls and knives, Lafreniere said.

Demonstrators have gathered in Montreal for the last 17 years to protest against police — and 15 of those marches have seen violence.