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TORONTO (Reuters) - An estimated 1,000 protesters filled the street in front of Toronto's Royal York hotel Tuesday, chanting, whistling and waving signs condemning the bombing of Kosovo as NATO defense ministers ate dinner inside.
A line of flack-jacket clad police and metal barricades kept the irate crowd -- some of whom marched from the U.S. consulate and some from a Toronto convention center where the defense ministers are holding a two-day informal meeting -- from crossing the road to the hotel.
The protesters sported black-and-white target buttons and brandished flags and placards which bore slogans such as "NATO 'victory' - Balkan tragedy".
Several blew shrill whistles and the group took up various chants including "NATO nazis" and "NATO out of Canada".
Police said they did not anticipate any violence "at the moment."
"But we do have a history with them, so anything can happen," said Sgt. Lorna Kozmik of the Metropolitan Toronto Police.
Last spring, protesters armed with Molotov cocktails firebombed the U.S. consulate in Toronto.
"I really don't know (how long we'll stay). Emotions are running very high," protester Vera Stefanovic told Reuters.
"Personally I would like to see (NATO Secretary-General Javier) Solana and ask him why he hates Serbs so much."
Earlier in the morning, the protest was confined to a desultory handful of people who shouted abuse at NATO defense ministers arriving at the convention center turned militarized zone. But their numbers swelled through the day.
"The world has already forgotten the victims of NATO aggression," said Snezana Vitorovic of the Center for Peace in the Balkans. She called on NATO to rebuild the country.
One megaphone-toting protester at the morning gathering chanted monotonously: "NATO baby-killers, NATO arms dealers."
As the United States and Britain pressed NATO allies inside the conference to open their wallets and lay out the cash to modernize their armies, protester Greg Duffell called for the total dissolution of the organization.