G8 protestors clash with police
Thousands of extra police officers are being drafted in to help tackle escalating disturbances by protestors gathered in Edinburgh ahead of the G8 summit.
While demonstrations at the weekend passed off relatively peacefully, this afternoon saw several hundred activists confront police in what the Lothian and Borders force described as a “wholly unacceptable” and “threatening display of aggression”.
A 10,600-strong G8 police force will be in place over the next week as hundreds of thousands of people converge on Scotland to campaign for an end to poverty.
Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof has called for one million people to show their support, which if achieved, would triple Edinburgh’s 450,000 strong population.
Security measures for the event have been described as “vigorous” as police are eager to avoid a repeat of the 2001 G8 summit in Geneva, where violent clashes between police officers and demonstrators left one person dead.
Protests at the weekend, when 250,000 people marched to make poverty history, were peaceful, with only two arrests made.
However, today’s protestors stepped up the tempo by throwing missiles at police, while the recovery of weapons prompted the rapid deployment of officers wearing public order gear to try to deal with the trouble.
Assistant chief constable Ian Dickinson has advised local businesses to consider closing to avoid the unrest, which he claims was clearly organised prior to the event rather than being a spontaneous uprising.
“We have always been prepared to talk to them to help them stage peaceful protest but it is clear that was never on their agenda,” he said.
“They have been determined to challenge the community and the police service for their own selfish agenda to inflict disruption and significant disorder.”
Mr Dickinson added: “We will deal robustly with anyone who behaves in this manner and deploy all the officers we have at our disposal to stop them inflicting mayhem on our communities.”
