So grave are the implications that the report by the Metropolitan Police clearly implies that the City police, who just look after the City of London, (one of the many historical anomalies of the City of London) can no longer protect the smooth workings of the capitalist system there. It is set to lose its authority in this respect at least.
The report of course often presents the protestors as mindless hooligans whereas for many there was a clear plan of direct action, which only became violent under certain conditions. It was also quite consciously linked with criticism of the whole capitalist world order and timed to coincide with the Frankfurt summit. The June 18 internet site provided an immediate range of lawful information and briefings on an international level unprecedented in the history of political struggle.
One of the more detailed complaints in the Evening Standard account yesterday was that some of the protestors had instructions written inside their masques.
The critical nature of the report into policing shows that underneath the news presentation (giving prominence to the policewoman pulled from a horse by contrast to the woman protester who was run over by a police vehicle, sparking the violence) they realise they need more effective and sophisticated methods of dealing with peaceful direct action.
That is much more difficult, and will require careful distinctions between legal and illegal methods of struggle to avoid creating martyrs and polarising protest against capitalism still further.
Report by Guardian follows.
After it I have added additional points from the Evening Standard
Chris Burford
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Officers not prepared for scale of violence at anti-capitalist demonstration in City of London in June
Julia Hartley-Brewer Thursday July 29, 1999
Officers in charge of policing last month's anti-capitalist riots in the City of London were too inexperienced to handle the unprecedented level of violence, a report concluded yesterday.
An independent review by retired Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Anthony Speed into the handling of the riots blamed the commanding officers' lack of experience in dealing with serious disorder, a failure in communication and the sheer scale of violence for the "apparent weaknesses" and "errors of judgment" in policing the event.
Mr Speed also recommended a joint City and Met review of public order policing following the Carnival against Global Capitalism, in which hundreds of protesters rampaged through the Square Mile, attacking police with bricks, bottles, cans and scaffolding poles, smashing shop windows and cars and spray painting walls, leaving a £2m trail of devastation.
The clashes were the worst since the Trafalgar Square poll tax riots of 1990, and many City workers criticised the City of London police for failing to control the protesters, led by anarchists and environmentalists.
One policewoman was pulled from her horse, punched and kicked and had to be rescued by fellow officers, while a protester was knocked down by a police van and was among dozens who needed hospital treatment.
More than 5,000 hours of CCTV videotape is being examined by officers, and 43 people have been arrested.
Mr Speed concluded that at least some of the problems could have been avoided, and his damning findings called into question the future of the City police as an independent force within the capital.
In the report, presented to the City police committee, Mr Speed noted: "The command and control structure was unduly complicated by two police operations, one in the City of London and the other in the Metropolitan police district.
"Once disorder occurred, the City police control room did not have the capacity to deal with the message flow or properly support the tactical command of the event." He praised the bravery and hard work of officers during the operation.
The commissioner of the City force, Perry Nove, accepted the criticisms and published his own report on the failings, admitting: "Clearly the police operation in containing and dealing with the violence and disorder was only partially successful."
He warned that a similar event was expected on the first working day in 2000, adding: "The demonstration signals a new era of violent protest which has implications for the whole country and for policing at a national level. The level of gratuitous violence and criminality was unprecedented, unprovoked and unforeseen."
However, he said: "The City of London police accept that a number of described generic weaknesses and some judgments exacerbated the difficulties of dealing with the very serious disorder once it had occurred. These are being addressed by the force."
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The Evening Standard report was headlined "Police bungled the City Riot" and refers to the "damning findings".
The damage is estimated at 2 million pounds.
"Once disorder occurred, the City Police control room did not have the capacity to deal with the message flow nor properly to support the tactical command of the event." (Met report).
"The sophisticated level of planning" by the protestors "had not been experienced at demonstrations before."
In the future, reinforcements of trained police might be needed from outside London.
A small "army" of demonstrators broke into the LIFFE building where security staff were "forced" to "fight" with the invaders and "run the wrong way up escalators" to stop the "anarchists" [highly organised?] getting further into the building.
The chairman and chief executive of the LIFFE complained that the police response was slow and when it did come it was misguided and confused. That is the public version.
LIFFE does not refer to the Dublin river.
The Evening Standard editorial is more explicit:
"The financial services industry is among Britain's most vital interests. It is focused upon the City of London, which must preserve its primacy, stability, and security as home to a vast range of international business. It seemed fantastic that on 18 June, a few thousand anarchist 'demonstrators' were able to roam freely around the City, invading and destroying property, with no effective interference from the police. ...
If anarchists take to the City streets again, the police must act decisively, even at the risk of facing allegations of heavy handedness."