Protesters clash with police as Bush visits London
Monday, June 16, 2008
- 12 February 2012: 'Stop being so damn respectful' say free speech supporters in London
- 12 February 2012: Anti-ACTA activists protest across Europe
- 11 February 2012: Attention drawn to high suicide rates in Scotland, Russia, Australia
- 10 February 2012: Wikinews Shorts: February 10, 2012
- 3 February 2012: Chris Huhne resigns from UK Cabinet to face charges
Protesters taking part in a demonstration in London's Parliament Square were caught in violent brawls with the Metropolitan Police as United States President George W. Bush was making his way to meet Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street on Sunday evening.
The protest, called for by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative, was attended by 2000 people according to Scotland Yard, and had previously been banned from marching past Downing Street. As they approached the barrier police had erected to block off access to Whitehall, police officers defended the blockade wielding batons and arresting 25 protesters.
While Deputy assistant commissioner to the Metropolitan Police Service, Chris Allison, criticized the protests as "deplorable" acts that could not "be described as lawful demonstration", a Stop the War Coalition member put the blame on the police, stating that there would have been no violence at all had the demonstration be allowed to pass by the Prime Minister's residence.
An earlier demonstration near Windsor Castle, where President Bush met with Queen Elizabeth for afternoon tea, stayed peaceful. On Monday, Bush will join Gordon Brown in talks with Peter Robinson, the first minister of Northern Ireland, in Belfast, where further protests are announced.
[edit] Sources
- Torcuil Crichton. "Violent clashes as Bush arrives in UK" — The Herald (Glasgow), June 16, 2008
- "Protesters greet Bush's UK visit" — BBC News Online, June 15, 2008
- Matthew Weaver. "Bush arrives in UK amid huge security operation" — The Guardian, June 15, 2008
