Government to consider banning face coverings to deter anarchists during Royal wedding



Thugs who use democratic protests as a cover to create mayhem face tough new powers to keep them off the street.



Ministers are considering imposing football-style banning orders on known hooligans.



Those suspected of planning trouble could be forced to report to their local police on the same day any marches take place elsewhere.



London's burning: Masked anarchists caused havoc in the West End of London last Saturday causing thousands of pounds of damage after taking over a peaceful protest organised by the TUC



Urgent reform: More than 50 officers were injured in the clashes and the Home Secretary has said she is willing to consider implementing powers to allow police to force the removal of face coverings and balaclavas

But Commander Bob Broadhurst, the officer in charge of policing Saturday’s anti-cuts march, insisted yesterday that forces did not need additional powers to deal with protests ‘unless you want to turn this into a police state’.

Home Secretary Theresa May wants to grant tougher powers to police if it brings ‘mindless thugs’ to justice, including allowing officers to force people to remove scarves and balaclavas covering their faces.

Vandalism: Home Secretary Theresa May told the Commons known hooligans could be banned from protests, as she praised officers for learning the lessons of the tuition fees protests

Clean-up operation: Workmen outside Fortnum & Mason wipe away graffiti scrawled on the shop front after hundreds of protesters stormed the store on Saturday

Addressing the House of Commons, she said: ‘I am willing to consider powers which would ban known hooligans from attending marches and rallies.



If the police need more help to do their work, I will not hesitate in granting it to them.’ Mrs May added that officials have begun examining the 1866 Riot Act to see if those responsible can be forced to pay for the clean-up.

After being forced to defend his tactics during the rally on Saturday, Commander Broadhurst admitted police had ‘failed in parts’. But he claimed the scenes would not be repeated at the Royal wedding, which takes place on April 29.



Prevention: Decisions on how to deal with large-scale marching will have to be taken speedily, as a group of anarchists are already said to be targeting next month's Royal Wedding

Mr Broadhurst said the wedding would be a ‘different dynamic’ as it was a security operation, not a protest, adding: ‘You are looking at a different type of threat. The threat to the wedding is a threat to democracy. For the wedding, we will be looking from terrorism downwards.

‘For protests we are hoping people will come and protest peacefully. They are two different ends of the spectrum.’

Police are already considering using counter-terrorism stop-and-search powers to prevent troublemakers disrupting the wedding day. The measures, which are only allowed in ‘exceptional circumstances’, let officers stop anyone if ‘necessary’ to stop a terrorist attack.

Last year the Government ditched the indiscriminate section-44 search laws from the Terrorism Act 2000 after the European Court of Human Rights ruled they were unlawful. But this month ministers temporarily reintroduced some in the ‘interests of national security’. Future: Theresa May praised the Metropolitan police and indicated new anti-riot measures may be brought in swiftly: 'I have asked the police whether they need further powers to prevent violence before it occurs'

Under siege: The protest march against the Government's austerity plans, organised by the TUC, attracted up to 500,000 peaceful protesters, but splinter groups ravaged the West End of London in what has been dubbed 'the battle of Piccadilly'

More than 200 people were arrested on Saturday. Undercover police infiltrated extremist groups as mayhem swept the streets.



Snatch squads of masked officers dressed in black mingled incognito with anarchists as they ran amok. It is understood they played a key role in arrests after throwing off their disguises.



One witness said: ‘I saw a group of young men wearing black chased down a small street, but suddenly some of them threw back their hoods and shouted “Police!”.’







