Bush demo police branded 'blood hungry' by protesters



It began as a perfectly legal protest about the visit of the most hated president in American history.

But within hours - as George Bush dined with Prime Minister Gordon Brown several hundred yards away in Downing Street - the demonstration degenerated into a vicious melee in which numerous officers and protesters were injured, and 25 were arrested.

In the aftermath of yesterday's shameful scenes it was claimed that 'blood hungry' Metropolitan Police massively over-reacted to the protests to save face for Mr Brown, with a huge presence of officers all too ready to use their batons.

'Blood Hungry': Police and protesters clash in Parliament Square

The senior officer in charge of policing the event, meanwhile, controversially claimed that the protesters could have been 'used as cover for more sinister criminal activity'.

The demonstrators wanted to express their opposition to President Bush opposite Downing Street - but in an unusual move were forbidden from doing so, and the whole of Whitehall was sealed off well before the demonstration late on Sunday.

The Stop the War Coalition, which organised the demonstration, blamed the 2,500 police involved in the operation in total over the weekend for the fighting that broke out with the 2,500 protesters.

As the Met began an investigation into the fracas, Stop the War spokesman Andrew Burgin said: 'This was the first time in the history of Britain that they've sealed off the centre of London in the way they did.

'We were not allowed to make a protest opposite Downing Street to save the face of the Prime Minister, because he didn't want protest to be heard when he arrived for dinner.

'It was very much a political decision taken under the directions of the security service of America .

'People were understandably annoyed at being smashed over the head in their own country at the request of a foreign security service.'

'Heavy Handed': A protester is left bleeding after clashes with police

Veteran peace campaigner Walter Wolfgang, who was at the rally, said: ‘Not only did some of the police behave brutally, it looked as if they enjoyed it.’

Human rights activist Bianca Jagger, who was also among the demonstrators, said the police response was ‘the most heavy handed I have seen since the Grovesnor Square 1968 protest’.

In advance of the demonstration, which began in Parliament Square at 5pm with speeches from leading opponents of the war in terror including politicians Tony Benn and George Galloway, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison had detailed the huge police operation planned.

Mr Allison said: 'We have not banned their march. They asked for a particular route. That route is just not open to them. Part of Whitehall has to be closed, and is being closed, on security grounds.'

Despite Mr Allison's confidence, the protest degenerated into violence - and waiting riot police were called in to help out when the two lines of police and two lines of police vans were deemed insufficient, although Mr Bush entered unhindered at the other end of Whitehall .

Protesters angry at the ongoing western military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan shouted that Mr Bush was a 'terrorist' as blows were struck by both sides.

A police spokesman said: 'The majority of the demonstrators crossed Parliament Square into Parliament Street to challenge police cordons and break through security barriers.

'Demonstrators started to try and take apart security barriers and threw placards at police.'

Anti-war protesters clash with police officers while trying to march down Whitehall

Police said around ten officers sustained injuries, while Stop the War claimed 20 protestors had significant head injuries. Of the 25 arrested, just three were charged by late yesterday.

Two men aged 21 and 26 were charged with obstructing police and a 60-year-old woman was charged with indecent exposure.

Mr Allison claimed placard holders were thrown 'like javelins' and said: 'We are seriously disappointed by the irresponsible and criminal actions of those who have challenged police, physically ripping apart security barriers with the sole aim of breaching security in Whitehall.

Riot police were called to the scene when protesters tried to breach police barriers blocking the entrance to Whitehall

'Attacks such as the ones we have seen are totally irresponsible as such behaviour can be used as cover for more sinister criminal activity.

'In this climate any activity to challenge the security of the President of the United States of America will be robustly responded to by police.

'The acts that we have witnessed are deplorable and cannot be described as lawful demonstration.'

A protester is detained by police in Whitehall

But Mr Burgin of the Stop the War Coalition argued that heavy-handed policing led to the fighting - saying that in 20 previous demonstrations, including the million-strong protest on the eve of the Gulf War in 2003, there had been no such scenes.

Mr Burgin said: 'The police were very free with the use of their batons - some went berserk - and while I saw no police being injured, many demonstrators had serious head wounds.

'It was very similar to the extraordinary police violence at the Countryside Alliance demonstration outside parliament in 2004.'

US President George Bush is welcomed to 10 Downing Street by Gordon Brown

Student protester David Jamieson, 21, who travelled from Strathclyde University to be present, said police violence had been 'completely unjustified'.

Mr Jamieson said: 'I was beaten repeatedly on my back and the back of my head. My back was turned and I was hit three or four times.

"We did not think that the moment a few sticks came over the police would pull out solid aluminium rods.

'They are blood hungry - it was absolutely unprovoked.'



