Protesters storm RBS office as thousands of anti-capitalists ransack the City in G20 riot By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 9:36 PM on 01st April 2009 Comments (221) Add to My Stories Hundreds of anarchists are still on the rampage this evening after the G20 protests descended into violence earlier today. As the chaos in London's Square Mile continues, more police have been drafted in wearing riot gear and police dogs are on the scene to disperse the crowds. Several officers were injured and a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland targeted by drunken troublemakers. Enlarge An injured protester argues with police as anti-capitalist and climate change activists rampage through the city Enlarge Police brought in dogs tonight to help disperse the demonstrators So far, 32 people had been taken into custody. Eleven of the arrests were made this morning after officers found police uniforms in the back of an armoured vehicle parked in the City of London. Others were made for violent disorder, threatening behaviour, indecency and one for possessing Class A drugs. A violent mob with their faces covered by bandanas broke into the RBS building after windows at its entrance were smashed. Enlarge Storming the banks: Demonstrators smashed windows at the Royal Bank of Scotland building in the City and went inside Enlarge A demonstrator dressed as a pink stormtrooper strolls past police outside the Bank of England Enlarge Police have resorted to wearing riot gear this evening as they confront protesters RBS had to be bailed out by the Government last autumn and has been widely condemned for giving its former chief executive a £16million pension. Sir Fred Goodwin, who led the bank to the brink of collapse, has become the focus of public anger over the financial crisis. Today, a printer and other pieces of equipment were hurled from the building as the gang ransacked the office. Enlarge Police prevent protesters from accessing a branch of RBS Enlarge Rioters attack a Group4 Security van outside a branch of Royal Bank of Scotland Hundreds of protesters cheered as a blue office chair was used to smash one of the blacked-out branch windows. The violence came despite an unprecedented police presence due to the protests over tomorrow's G20 summit and Barack Obama's visit. Outnumbered: A policeman tries to keep the crowds at bay Enlarge An injured man confronts police as they attempt to subdue the crowds Witnesses said a metal pole was used to smash a way in to the building. Graffiti was also daubed on the side of the building as other demonstrators threw eggs and flour. More... When Barack met Elizabeth: The First Families of Britain and America meet for tea David Cameron finds plenty to agree on with Barack Obama as they hold private talks Bruni, banquets and bullet-proof suits: The important (and not at all trivial) questions about G20 Renegade has landed: Obama gets down to business at No.10 breakfast with Brown JAMES SLACK: Batten down the hatches - the bad old days of riots could be back ANDREW ALEXANDER: Summits? They are for show, not solutions... Around the bank, crowds charged police lines as officers hit back with baton charges. City workers added to the febrile atmosphere by waving wads of money from their office windows and shouting insults at the protesters. Enlarge A protester hurls a smoke canister through a smashed window of the RBS building Enlarge Police confront demonstrators at the Bank of England Violence erupted after around 4,000 people were penned in by officers outside the Bank of England as riot vans blocked off surrounding streets. Fortunately the bank was empty because RBS had warned employees to stay away during the protests. Attack: A masked man smashes the window of the RBS building Enlarge A police officer tackles an anti-capitalist and climate change activist There was security in place but this had to be bolstered by police as the protests turned ugly. An RBS spokesman said: 'We are aware of the violence... The safety of our employees and our customers is of paramount importance to us. 'We had already taken the precautionary step of closing selected City of London branches, including the Threadneedle branch.' An injured woman is taken to safety during the G20 riots A wounded protester is comforted by friends near the Bank of England By 2.30pm, the protesters had been evicted from the premises and police in riot gear supported by mounted officers had forced the crowd back down the road. A police helicopter hovered overhead as the officers tried to get the crowds under control. They were heard chanting 'shame on you' and hurled missiles. By 3pm, the cordon surrounding the area was relaxed. Enlarge Get back: Police in riot gear fight off protesters outside the Bank of England Enlarge Enlarge Injured: A bandaged woman is led into a police vehicle - and a policeman covered in red paint sprayed by a demonstrator At 6.15pm, the peace was broken with more ugly scenes as police and protesters confronted each other in Cornhill, at the corner of the Bank of England. A few protesters threw plastic bottles, banners and toilet rolls at police as the crowd chanted: 'Let us out. Let us out.' Rioters then turned their attention on the police line at Mansion House Place, throwing glass bottles, at least one of which narrowly missed an officer. The crowd then surged towards another line of police nearby and fled in panic as officers baton charged. Enlarge Smashed-in windows of the RBS building Observers spotted many demonstrators drinking and smoking cannabis as they swarmed towards the City this morning. Bankers and other office workers were warned to stay away or dress down to avoid being targeted by people furious at the financial crisis. Four separate demonstrations were taking place across the capital as world leaders held frantic talks to discuss tomorrow's summit. Police in riot gear block access to a branch of RBS Enlarge Mass protest: Thousands gathered outside the Bank of England Enlarge On a mission: Hooded protesters, many of them women, were prominent Most proved peaceful but the flashpoint was inevitably in the City as thousands gathered outside the Bank of England. Hundreds more were prevented from entering the area by police and started running battles with officers. Masked and hooded men also tried to breach police lines to get to a climate camp in nearby Bishopsgate. Enlarge A climate change and anti-capitalist activist is tended to by a medic after being injured during a demonstration Enlarge Enlarge Celebrity endorsement: Russell Brand pitched up at the Bank of England and immediately donned a mask before pulling it to one side Police forced them back as they were pelted with empty beer cans, fruit and flour. At least one officer was seen with blood spurting from his head. Chants of 'f*** the police' and 'our street' were heard as police reinforcements were drafted in. There were ugly scenes as the protesters refused to fall back and goaded officers. Eventually they surged forward, forcing police to draw their batons. Protesters clutched horses' heads made from cloth and sticks and flags or figures of death and also threw paint at officers. Many suffered minor injuries and were seen bleeding from the head after police beat them back as they tried to force their way through. Enlarge Furious demonstrators let off smoke bombs as the mood turned ugly The clashes came just as it seemed the protest, which was also attended by comedian Russell Brand, would pass off peacefully. Wearing a black baggy woollen hat and with a small group of friends, Brand waved and gave the thumbs-up to fellow demonstrators. He said: 'I always come to these kind of things, I'm very interested. I am interested in learning and interested in why these people have come to this. 'I wonder what alternatives there are and I think it makes people cogent of them. I think it's also very beautiful.' Asked to comment on the protests by Sky News, he said: 'I'm not here to comment - I'm here to protest.' He later escaped the police cordon to return to his home in North London. Enlarge Hundreds of demonstrators concealed their identities Enlarge The protesters included hundreds of hardened anarchists At RBS, missiles including plastic bottles and toilet rolls were hurled at the sides of the building. 'F*** the system', 'Beat inflation - eat the rich', and 'Scum' were graffitied on to the building as people peered out from windows on the fourth floor. Officers on horseback guarded the crowd as items, including coins and computer keyboards, were thrown. A blue paint ball was hurled from the crowd and hit one of the concrete columns outside the bank, narrowly avoiding the head of one policeman trying to keep order. The police desperately tried to shepherd the protesters, who were carrying banners proclaiming 'Balls to the Banks' and 'Punish the looters'. Enlarge Security: Officers try to push back the crowds Enlarge Confrontation: Officers did not wear riot gear for the operation Businesses surrounding the Bank of England were boarded up and dozens of officers guarded each entrance as the protesters congregated outside. Former financial worker Caroline Carter, 49, from Chertsey in Surrey, wore a T-shirt with a picture of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the word 'traitor'. She said: 'Believe you me, this is going to get a lot worse by the end of this year. I suggest the bankers give up some of their pensions and give something back to the community.' Enlarge Anger: One protester makes his point All roads leading towards the Bank of England remained blocked this afternoon, with crowds gathering again shortly before 4pm. But away from the police lines the protest took on a carnival air. Music blared from speakers and street performers entertained crowds. Many people were enjoying the sun, reclining in the middle of the road, playing cards, reading newspapers or just chatting amicably. Various banners and posters were attached to street signs and lampposts, many showing a picture of the Grim Reaper and a pile of bank notes. An effigy of a banker in a bowler hat was hung from a set of traffic lights, beneath which two street performers dressed as police with blue lipstick danced and juggled. June Rogers, 52, a gardener from Battersea, south London, was at the protest with her friend, Keith Fassenfelt, 53, an artist from Earlsfield in south west London. She said: 'The police should let us all dribble out when we need to. We've just come on a peaceful protest. 'We've got fire in our belly and we want to say something and be heard, we are just ordinary people but they have hemmed us in and made the situation worse. 'At least I can say to my grandchildren that I did something, and now is the time with all the world leaders here - they must listen.' Mr Fassenfelt chipped in: 'They probably won't listen. It hasn't been a horrible protest, it's been very good-humoured. 'I've never been to a protest before and I just felt this was the time, I wanted to be one of the numbers. 'I don't agree with every issue people are here protesting about but we need to be heard on things like climate change and the greediness of the banks and supermarkets. 'If there is any bad vibe it is because of the police. Whenever I hear someone say something like that I think they are talking rubbish but now I have experienced it myself.' Flashpoint: Thousands of activists were penned in outside the Bank of England Police clash with protesters outside the Bank of England <!-- google_ad_section_end(name=s2) --> Print this article Read later Email to a friend Share this article: Digg it Del.icio.us Reddit Newsvine Nowpublic StumbleUpon Facebook MySpace Fark <script type="text/javascript">DM.has("readerComments");DM.has("debate");</script> View more Add your comments Comments (221) Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below? The efforts from the protest should be applauded as they are anti Gordon Brown. For that, I salute them. And so do 95% of the British population. Click to rate Rating 85 - Graeme Carter, London, UK, 01/4/2009 16:04 Quite right S The City - us working in town today can see first hand what sort of people these "peaceful protesters" really are. Click to rate Rating 245 - Claire, The City, 01/4/2009 16:02 Whatever many of us think of this government and it's cronies, the rule of the mob cannot prevail and must be overcome. The genuine protestors are being hijacked by anarchists and hippies and thugs as we have seen in other countries too. If allowed to win, law and order and democracy would be broken and that spells disaster. Backing this unruly mob is not the way. p.s. Helen, London, 1/4/09, 12:44 - that was the best April Fool's gag i've read today. Click to rate Rating 491 - John, Ilkley, West Yorks., 01/4/20
"At RBS, missiles including plastic bottles and toilet rolls were hurled at the sides of the building." Absolutely anarchistic behaviour that will not be tolerated. We must crush those who think its fine to hurl projectiles at the British Transport Police. And when we get done with them .....we'll start on you.. Wankers.
I saw one of them speaking on the news this morning. He had a bloddy nose and was crying like a little girl and screaming about "This is what the police are doing! Beating up 18 year old children!" Bet his parents are proud of him. What a sorry bunch of trash! jim
Take a virtual stroll through the British website "Urban75" sometime - there is a subculture in Great Britain (particularly in London) that consider protesting as a sport and artform. They live to march, curse and show their collective arses to polite society. On one of GWB's London visits, they actually tried to organise a wide-ranging protest to shutdown the whole of London. It didn't work. They don't realise most people really don't care - as long as they can watch telly and keep beer in the house. So these idealistic, usually drugged up idiots go out and get themselves clobbered. For nothing. And they consider themselves so very 'enlightened' and 'educated'. Poppycock. They just like a good row with the coppers, eh wat?
But then again they aren't sitting on their arses in front of a computer bitching about how bad things are and waiting for someone else to go and complain for them.
Point taken. However, when the "protest" is taken over by the anarchists and teddy boy's clubs that are into it for a lark and publicity, the real protesters are painted with a different stripe and their credibility goes down the drain.
Agreed Ghrit but that's always been the way hasn't it. It shouldn't stop people getting out there and actually protesting. The majority of Anarchists are a bunch of pubescent pimply youths IMHO. But even what they do is understandable on some levels. The unfortunate thing is when the 'majority' of those who would have never protested in the first place use their (anarchists) actions to negate the valid protestations of the majority of the protesters. So how could you stage a protest of this magnitude without getting them involved seeing as how the majority of people couldn't be bothered getting out of their e-z-e boy for anything? Given the choice between no protests and protests with arseholes involved I would have to take the latter. At least it shows we are not happy!
