Police were forced to intervene as more than 1,500 protesters delayed the start of a Toronto debate featuring Steve Bannon, the former strategist who helped Donald Trump win the White House.

At least three protesters rushed the door at The Munk Debate tonight to chain it shut.

A melee ensued, and the police moved in, reported Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno, who was attending the event.

Video posted on social media showed officers outside the downtown venue using batons to hold back the crowd, and police tweeted that 12 people had been arrested.

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The charges ranged from assault to trespassing and public mischief, Toronto police spokesperson Gary Long told the Star. He also said that two police officers suffered minor injuries.

“1 officer hit with a stick, another punched in the face,” police tweeted.

Long said he isn’t aware of any other injuries.

Debate organizers explained the roughly half-hour delay by saying they anticipated protests and wanted to ensure everyone was safe.

Bannon was eventually introduced to begin his defence of political populism against conservative commentator David Frum.

In his opening statement, interrupted by a shouting protester, Bannon gave a nod to the protesters exercising their free speech rights before laying out his views. Society is on the verge of a “revolution,’’ Bannon said.

“It’s not a question of whether populism is on the rise and whether populism is going to be the political future,’’ Bannon said, prompting derisive laughter at times. “The only question before us is it going to be populist nationalism or populist socialism.’’

In his own opening statement, Frum said the new populism promoted by Bannon is a ``scam’’ and a lie, saying so many populist leaders around the world, including Bannon’s former boss, U.S. President Donald Trump, are “crooks.’’

“Does the kind of politics that Steve Bannon is speaking for and President Trump articulates, does that politics offer me anything?’’

Frum said to audience applause. “It offers you nothing. It does not care about you. It does not respect you.’’

Bannon accused critics of populism, and its recent successes in several countries, of resorting to smear tactics.

Critics who accuse Bannon of being a white supremacist wanted the debate scrapped.

While the 90-minute event at a downtown auditorium was sold out, the theatre was barely half full at the scheduled start time.

To ensure the debate went ahead, albeit late, members of the public were seated even after it began.

Protesters circled Roy Thomson Hall on Friday night to let Bannon know he was persona non grata in Toronto.

The demonstrators called out those who came to see the former Trump strategist and the organizers of the Munk Debates, charging they were helping him to spread the politics of hate and division.

“He hates Jews. He hates Blacks. He hates you because of the person you live with, whether you are a lesbian or gay,” organizer Nigel Barriffe yelled into a microphone.

“He should be ashamed and he should never have platform in our great city,” said Barriffe, president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

Bannon squared off against Conservative commentator David Frum, a senior editor at The Atlantic Magazine. They debated the resolution, “Be it resolved, the future of western politics is populist, not liberal.”

Attendees were greeted by chants of “shame on you” as they stood in line.

They were wanded and frisked by security guards as they entered the venue.

Bannon’s controversial appearance attracted protesters from more than 40 social-justice organizations, including anti-poverty activists, unionists and defenders of immigrants and refugees.

They carried banners and homemade signs with similar messages:

“Bannon = Hate,” “Say no to Islamaphobia,” and “Stop racism.”

Some signs carried messages like this one, taking aim at those who invited Bannon to Toronto: “Munk Debates: Steve Bannon and David Frum to debate whether hate crimes are better than war crimes.”

There was a heavy police presence and organizers say 11 protesters were arrested.

Speaker Anna Willats described Bannon and Frum as “two right-wing warmongering peas” in a pod and accused them of spreading neo-liberal and white nationalist ideas.

“We need to organize together to resist the racism and violence that result from the ideas they’re putting forward,” said Willats, who is from the social justice group RadTO.

She urged the public to make connections between Bannon’s rhetoric and increasing occurrences of racism, violence and oppression.

“The far-right is organizing and we need to stop it,” Willats said.

Speaker Cynthia Levine-Rasky paid tribute to the 11 worshippers who were killed by a gunman at a Pittsburgh synagogue a week ago.

“What happened on Oct. 27 affects all of us...everyone, our common humanity,” she said.

We stand together.... Our strength is standing together against the forces that aim to divide us,” Levine-Rasky said.

— with files from The Canadian Press

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