G20 protests turn violent

2 Apr 2009, 6:37 am   -   Source: AAP/SBS
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Protesters have swarmed through London, smashing their way into a bank and clashing with police in an outburst of anger on the eve of the G20 summit.

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Protesters have swarmed through London, smashing their way into a bank and clashing with police in an outburst of anger on the eve of the G20 summit.

Police, many dressed in riot gear, were out in force as thousands of protesters demonstrated through the city's financial district, outside the US embassy and in Trafalgar Square.

Chanting anti-capitalist, anti-war and anti-pollution slogans, they were determined the G20 leaders heard their fury before holding talks about the global financial crisis on Thursday.

Dozens of people were arrested after violence erupted outside the Bank of England in the heart of London's financial district around lunchtime, local time.

Anarchists smashed the windows of a neighbouring branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland, a financial giant saved from collapse by the British government, and stormed inside.

Riot police on horses were called in to push the protesters on the street back as bottles, cans and paint bombs were thrown at officers.

Baton-wielding police

Some protesters were left bleeding after being hit by baton-wielding police during the clashes.

Police quickly cordoned off surrounding streets to coral the 4,000 protesters who had converged on the area.

Metropolitan Police commander Simon O'Brien said the response by officers had been "proportionate", adding that it was clear some protesters had been "determined to cause violence".

The violence was condemned from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has travelled to London for the G20 summit.

"When it comes to acts of violence, these are unacceptable on the streets of London as they would be on the streets of Sydney or the streets of Melbourne," he told reporters.

"People around the world are concerned about the impact of a crisis which they did not cause and its impact on their families and their communities through the loss of jobs, I understand that.

"That does not provide any justification whatsoever to wanton violence."

'Financial Fools Day'

The protest had began peacefully, with thousands of demonstrators descending on the Bank of England from four different directions for what was dubbed "Financial Fools Day".

Led by the "four horsemen of the apocalypse", the anti-capitalist protesters chanted "build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the bankers on top" and "fight back, fight back".

Effigies of bankers were hung from traffic lights, while some protesters dressed as grim reapers and devils and waved placards.

Ronnie, a 38-year-old unemployed builder, said many people were "disgusted" at the way they had been treated by governments during the credit crunch.

"They need to listen because the world is in a state," he told AAP.

Many businesses near the Bank of England were boarded up amid fears they would be attacked, while swathes of office workers decided to take the day off to avoid any clashes.

Climate change camp

Nearby on Bishopsgate, environmentalists brought traffic to a halt on the busy road as they pitched hundreds of tents for a "climate change flash camp" outside the European Carbon Exchange.

Their demonstration remained mostly peaceful, with only a few minor skirmishes with police as officers attempted to clear the road.

The protesters planned to spend the night camped at the site to highlight their concerns about carbon trading and global warming.

Hundreds of other anti-war campaigners also rallied at Trafalgar Square after protesting outside the US Embassy in west London.

A total of 24 people had been arrested by the end of the day, including 11 who had been in an armoured vehicle with police uniforms.

More protests are planned tomorrow when the G20 leaders, including US President Barack Obama, meet for their talks in the Docklands, in London's east.

 

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