Court action for G8 protestors
Up to 100 protestors are today facing court action after being arrested in Edinburgh amid violent clashes with police.
Riot-trained officers were drafted into the city centre yesterday to deal with the trouble as the expected protest against the G8 summit escalated into fierce confrontation.
Edinburgh was brought to a virtual standstill for about six hours by the activists as part of a “clearly organised and coordinated” disturbance, according to Lothian and Borders assistant chief constable Tom Halpin.
Mr Halpin also defended the tactics employed by officers to tackle the outbursts in response to accusations from some quarters that an overly aggressive approach was used.
At least four police officers required hospital attention following clashes with anarchists, who reportedly threw weapons and objects such as paving slabs and bottles at police.
