G20 protesters 'will try to bring London to standstill'
Police fear anti-capitalist groups will seek violent confrontation on streets
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Independent Minds
Italian riot police clashed with anti-capitalist protesters in the centre of Genoa in July 2001 when the city hosted the G8 summit
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Next month's G20 summit will present an "unprecedented" challenge as up to 2,000 protesters attempt to bring London to a standstill, the Metropolitan Police admitted yesterday.
The 20 world leaders, including Barack Obama, are to visit the capital for the summit on 2 and 3 April. They plan to discuss ways to tackle the global financial crisis.
But their presence is expected to encourage a large number of protests, with scores of activists from an array of different causes determined to generate publicity from demonstrations around the event.
The majority of protest groups have promised to demonstrate peacefully, but there are fears anarchist and hardcore anti-capitalists from Britain and abroad will try to fight police in pitched battles reminiscent of the anarchist riots of the late 1990s which caused millions of pounds of damage.
Senior officers at Scotland Yard say they are aware of several groups which plan to converge on the City of London financial district to cause blockades, and attempt to get inside major banks including the Bank of England.
One organiser is believed to be a senior lecturer at the University of East London. Some groups are said to be considering filling roads with sand and then sending children to play in it, making it impossible for police officers to forcibly remove them.
An anti-capitalist umbrella group calling itself "G20 – Meltdown in the City" has promised to "storm" banks and target many of the luxury hotels where world leaders will stay.
Climate change campaigners will also concentrate their protests within the Square Mile where they intend to hold one of their ubiquitous Climate Change Camps. Previous camps have been held at Heathrow and outside Kingsnorth power station in Kent, but this time thousands of activists will descend on the City in the week up to the three-day summit.
The Independent has learnt small "commando" groups of environmental activists are planning high profile publicity protests, similar to the Parliament rooftop protests last year.
One climate change activist, who has been arrested on numerous protests, said yesterday: "With so much media attention and so many world leaders coming to town next week I can guarantee there will be all sorts of groups looking to perform an array of exciting direct action stunts.
"I just hope the action won't take the form of throwing things at the police as that gets us nowhere."
Tibetan activists from around the world will also use the G20 to protest against the continuing crackdown in Tibet, where scores of people have been killed and arrested by Chinese forces since widespread rioting and protests broke out last year. The G20 meeting takes place at the ExCel centre in Docklands, and the Metropolitan Police plan to use a marine unit to prevent attempts by protesters to infiltrate the site by boat.
More than 10,000 officers' shifts will be used in the operation, which will cost the Met at least £7.2m, although £4.7m of this money would have been spent regardless of where the officers were patrolling.
Sir Paul Stephenson, the Scotland Yard Commissioner, said: "G20 is a huge challenge for the Met. Quite clearly the notice for this event is less than one would normally have, but I think we are in extraordinary times and that has led to an extraordinary event."
Commander Bob Broadhurst is in charge of the security operation – one of the biggest the Met has ever mounted. All police leave has been cancelled for the duration of the summit and officers from six forces are working to second guess "innovative" protesters determined to evade traditional security arrangements.
"We have to be flexible and mobile," he said. "These are innovative people and we must be innovative as well.
"They are very clever people and they understand our tactics and will try to outsmart us. I have encouraged officers to try to think about what these people might try and do and hopefully we will have something to mitigate that. It will be an exciting couple of days to say the least."
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Comments
...and it's not riots and violence - or even demonstrations!
Enter into a peaceful Lawful Rebellion under Article 61 of the Magna Carta of 1215 and become a Freeman on the Land at Common Law (search for John James Harris or TPUC for more info.) - currently, about 200 people a day are serving the Queen with Affidavits and entering into Lawful Rebellion.
Acts of parliament are not Laws, they are Statutes - and according to Black?s Law Dictionary, a Statute is a Legislative Rule of a Society, given the Force of Law by the consent of the governed - by becoming a Freeman on the Land at Common Law you are expressly removing your consent to be ruled by Acts of parliament in a manner that has been lawful for almost 800 years! - Why do you think Statues are called ?Acts?? - They only Act as Laws!
Once a Freeman, you are only liable to adhere to the Common Law of the Land - which in principle means you must not harm or injure another human being, cause a loss of property, or use fraud in a contract. Simple - No Victim - No Crime.
In addition, you can serve government agencies, such as the police, with a 'Notice of Understanding and Intent' and a 'Claim of Right' to clarify any issue you want (as long as it adheres to Common Law principles) - for example, you can draw up a Fee Schedule and charge the police for your time (How does 500.00 per hour sound?)
It really is that simple - I undertook the process myself last month - peaceful non-compliance with unjust laws and non-payment of unfair taxation is the only way forward?
Love, Peace, Justice, for All.
Neil Kerslake,
Freeman on the Land at Common Law.
People are extremely angry, years of disenchantment at the hands of New Labour, sweeping and crushing dictatorial powers being ushered in on lies, watching our society being flushed down the pan by Blair and then continued by Brown, people who have lost their businesses, jobs, homes and families see the politicians doing all right, the banks walking away with massive payouts whilst the man in the street is being beggared to pay for their greed and stupidity.
Brown is doing his unwitting best to drive this country into civil collapse, he and his colleagues will unleash the police onto the people and the people will fight back, it is not anarchy, it is not sedition or insurrection, it is pure and unadulterated anger at abysmal mismanagement and greed by this government.
And for those minding the comment on the long and short wooden sticks, go buy a newspaper and learn how to make a Millwall Brick then if you find yourself on the wrong end of a brutal police charge, you have the means to defend yourself which is your right and have done no wrong...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lark
It wont happen , humans are generally corrupt when given the chance, but protest does help people to see what is being kept from them , in this case, the police will start a riot as they always do , then will blame it on the protesters as they always do and then brown the clown will take away more of our civil liberties using the justification of stopping those "terrorist" protesters from destroying our way of life .
I have one thing to say to Mr Brown .. your the one destroying this country, economically, enviromentally and morally.
Remember the lesson the roman emperors never forgot Mr Brown .. the MOB rules .. and it looks like the mob is comming to your door step
Besides, I need to go to work. Otherwise, my tax money might go somewhere other than the banks.
What a threat.
The British gov and the Police don't want anyone to have a say, about anything anymore.
Just to remain silent about the ruination of our lives, whilst they and liebour ride roughshod over us for another year or so.
No. People have other ideas about that.
Police Commander Bob Broadhurst says these G20 protesters "will try to outsmart us",
well Bob, they certainly won't be going out of their way to do that if they do.
It will be just part of the usuall goings on and outcome of daily life.
G20 protesters 'will try to bring London to standstill'.....so what if they do.
They'll be doing us all a favour.
Having a voice of the People being heard.
Even if it's from this shower.
There is an article I read about the dams coming back and there is a similar attitude so I thought I would save the politicians and my time repeating this here in the form I had written, the message being the same. Rest of the tale is all b******* my meaning for no future on the forums.
But their presence is expected to encourage a large number of protests, with scores of activists from an array of different causes determined to generate publicity from demonstrations around the event.
Why cannot the dams make a comeback when you have many times stated in Latin these headings? Dams gave water to the small villagers who had no water. This is how. The water was accumulated and then diverted in the manner the villager?s demands. The tributaries were formed and water was used for the houses and the irrigation. That is how we flourished. Then we preserved the water and with the jest created the power. These are still in use. Like stick and grass with the spark from the stone, we created the fire, so did we learn the use of water from the dams. I see nothing wrong when the striped shirts were in design coming back or the bell-bottom trousers coming back. What is wrong with us in power is we think we have conquered the space and we do not have to go back to the basic of the villages. Our ego does not allow us to go back in these fields all others going back are fine. Are not the poor countries staying with these small dams built with the stones? Water forums like economic forums are for the rich, is that it?
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla