Anti-capitalists to target London By Andrew Ward
Financial institutions in London are being warned by police to assess their risk of attack by protesters over the weekend leading up to May 1 when up to 10,000 anti-capitalist demonstrators are expected to converge on the city.
One of the biggest police operations in London's history is planned for the four-day event. It is feared the protest could turn violent. Last June, a riot in London's financial district led to 101 arrests and caused millions of pounds of damage.
Banks, fund managers and companies linked to environmentally or politically sensitive corporate activities, such as oil drilling and animal testing, could be singled out by protesters opposed to "capitalism, exploitation and destruction of the planet".
Police are urging institutions not to rely on a single City of London-based operation in case activists bring business to a halt. It is feared that protesters might attempt to storm buildings or hack into computer systems.
Institutions headquartered in buildings with glass frontages have an increased vulnerability to attack, police warned.
The strength of the police's warnings and the intensity of their planning reflects fears that this year's demonstrations could be bigger than last June's and sensitivity about criticisms that they were under-prepared for last year's riot.
However, police admit they have little intelligence about the event or its organisers - who are believed to be a disparate group of environmentalists, anarchists and left-wingers - except that gleaned from web sites advertising four days of "mayhem and mass action".
A range of peaceful events, including cycle rides and an "anarchists' football tournament" are planned from the evening of Friday, April 28, building towards a mass demonstration on Monday, May 1, which is a public holiday in the UK.
Police expect the majority of campaigners to be peaceful but are concerned about a hard core of troublemakers intent on encouraging violence.
They are especially concerned about Guerrilla Gardening, an event planned by Reclaim The Streets, an environmental organisation. Participants are encouraged to bring seeds and gardening equipment to "cultivate" open spaces in the capital.
Police fear it could be a front for activists to bring forks, spades and mattocks to use as weapons. This was dismissed by Angel, a Reclaim the Streets organiser.
The joint operation between the Metropolitan and City of London police forces will be similar in scale to the one employed on New Year's Eve. Several thousand police officers will be on duty. All leave has been cancelled.