Columnist Marcus Gee blames the massive security overkill at the Toronto summit on the rhetorical threat from a handful of fringe groups (read the original article here).

I am an activist. I condemn the use of violence by citizens at the upcoming summit demonstrations.

I also condemn sound cannons, water cannons, plastic bullets, CS gas, and the alarming sight of a police officer armed with a machine gun at the corner of Dundas and Yonge at lunch time on Wednesday.

The demonstrations that have already taken place have been completely peaceful. In every case police have massively outnumbered marchers.