To protest the Group of 20 summit, rioters burned and vandalized police cars and broke windows as thousands of people hit the streets Saturday in Toronto.

The Toronto Globe and Mail has reported that while hundreds of police officers in riot gear kept a secure border around the site of the meeting, they did little to stop the damage.

Police actions were "measured and balanced," said Constable Tim Garland. He could not comment on stories that rubber bullets were fired into the crowds, he said.

According to him, "They're doing their best to try to keep their peace."

Protesters cheered the sound of breaking glass and the sight of smoke rising from a burning police car.

It was also reported that some Toronto residents had a different reaction. Craig Herbert went out with a broom from Ram in the Rye, a student hangout where he works, to sweep glass off the street.

He said, "I don't want to justify a billion dollar budget by wrecking sh--. I like my city."

The cost of security for the preliminary Group of Eight meeting in Huntsville, Ontario, and the G20 summit in Toronto is fast approaching the level of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

It has also been reported that the protests, now an expected feature of summit meetings, began on Friday. Anti-G20 protesters set up camp in a Toronto park where some slept in red tents with messages like "Housing is a right" and "End homelessness now." At least 3,000 demonstrators marched through downtown. (With inputs from Agencies)