OTTAWA — Police kept pro and anti-Moammar Gadhafi protesters apart at a demonstration near the Libyan embassy in downtown Ottawa on Friday.
A dozen supporters of the Libyan strongman faced about a hundred opponents, shouting slogans and insults across a street.
The two sides milled together briefly before police stepped in and moved them apart.
The RCMP said one of their officers was injured on the site but not as a result of the protest.
One anti-Gadhafi protester carried a sign reading: “42 years, enough is enough.”
“Our people had no medicine, no education, nothing,” said Ghazal Bentaleb, 27.
“Everyone hates Gadhafi.”
Bentaleb said the pro-Gadhafi camp were each being paid to be at the protest, but the small group denied that.
They carried photos of people allegedly injured by NATO bombing raids.
One man said he didn’t believe the reports that Gadhafi had bombed his own citizens and said the violence was entirely instigated by rebel forces.
“NATO and the United Nations are trying to solve Libyan problems and they are using war,” said Abdallah Ali, 39, as he tried to rally his crowd through a megaphone.
“This is a dirty war and we need to talk about peace.”
But his side slowly disappeared back into the humdrum of an Ottawa Friday afternoon, leaving behind some of their flags and propaganda.
The anti-Gadhafi side seized upon them and ripped them up, at one point trying to burn a flag for the media on the scene.
Ottawa police said no one was arrested.
Canadian CF-18 fighter-bombers are taking part in the campaign in Libya, which is aimed at supporting Libyan rebels in their fight against troops loyal to the dictator.