The protest Games: demonstrators target Olympics

Activists have promised they will defeat extra security to get their messages across

This summer's Olympic Games will take place against a backdrop of near-constant demonstrations, protesters have promised, as activists plan sit-ins, marches and occupations of key sites despite the huge security presence that will surround London 2012.

The vow came as the first major demonstration on an Olympic site – a protest camp against the construction of a training hall to be used during the Games – moved into its seventh day. Construction of the basketball facility at Leyton Marsh in east London was halted on Wednesday as protesters from Occupy London joined local residents who had set up camp there.

Olympic organisers were recently forced to more than double the number of security guards required for the Games from 10,000 to 23,700, pushing the cost of security up from £282m in 2010 to £553m in December 2011. They also announced earlier this month that 7,500 of the extra guards would be military personnel.

Police have also been given extra measures to deal with demonstrations, including the ability to fast-track the process of dismantling makeshift camps.

But a newly-established protest group Our Olympics, which acts as a forum for other activists to organise protests, said yesterday that it would get around the extra security, and promised the "greatest act of non violent civil disobedience of our time".

Games organisers Locog did not respond to a request for comment.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Caption competition
Caption competition
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Sport blogs

iBet: A tight game between Northampton and Bradford

A tight game could be in prospect here. Northampton have been keeping things very tight of late and ...

by Gareth Purnell

On The Road at the Giro d’Italia: Feeling ill and racing in the rain must be pretty grim

I can’t ever watch games of football or rugby without wistfully wondering what it must be like to be...

by Martin Ayres

PSG and the French league must be more proactive in dealing with hooliganism

Since PSG’s exit to Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League quarter-final in April, PSG have been sur...

by Matthew Riding

       

Day In a Page

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

Masculinity in crisis?

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
Have US shock jocks gone too far?

Have US shock jocks gone too far?

An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies

Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

'He will always be a friend'

Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in