House trashed, Caledonia protesters say

CALEDONIA, Ont. (CP) — About 30 protesters gathered Sunday at a house next to the ongoing aboriginal occupation site in Caledonia, Ont., saying it was trashed overnight.

There is graffiti inside the house, with swear words and "racist go home" scrawled on the walls.

Police said they are treating the incident as a break-and-enter.

There was a large police presence Sunday and witnesses said there was no violence or confrontations between protesters and those on the occupation site.

Hazel Hill, a Six Nations spokeswoman, said some of the protesters carried signs insulting Premier Dalton McGuinty’s resolve to end the occupation.

"They’ve gathered there and our people are keeping well back . . . they have nothing to do with us," she said.

On Saturday, a rally resulted in the arrests of the organizer, Gary McHale, a Richmond Hill, Ont., resident, and another man for breach of the peace.

McHale was kept overnight and released without being charged.

He said he will sue Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino and the officer who arrested him for holding him overnight when he wasn’t charged with anything.

An OPP officer said Saturday that when people are arrested for breach of the peace, it is typically done to defuse a tense situation and is not followed by charges.