Royal Car Is Attacked By Protesters
A car containing Prince Charles and Camilla has been attacked and 10 police officers have been hurt after violence broke out among protesters in London.
Clarence House said the couple were "unharmed" and they arrived on time at the London Palladium for tonight's Royal Variety Performance, although the Duchess of Cornwall appeared shaken.
Their Rolls-Royce limousine's passenger window was smashed and the vehicle was splattered with paint after the incident in the West End.One witness told Sky News protesters "lunged" at the vehicle and tried to chase it.
Clashes erupted in the capital this evening after MPs voted to increase tuition fees.
Ten officers were hurt, including one who suffered neck injuries, and another whose leg was badly hurt when he was thrown from his horse.
Christmas shoppers and tourists are caught up in violent scenes after protesters rampaged along Oxford Street, smashing shop windows before focusing their attention on a Topshop store.
They targeted Government buildings including the Treasury, where men were seen smashing toughened-glass windows egged on by hundreds of cheering bystanders. Demonstrators also clashed with police at the nearby Supreme Court.
There have been angry scenes in Parliament Square, with pockets of protesters involved in a stand-off with riot officers. Police responded by baton charging the crowd.
One student told Sky News people were being injured and knocked unconscious as people tried to get out of the area.
Flares, paint bombs, snooker balls and other missiles have been thrown at police. A statue of Winston Churchill and a number of buildings, including the Treasury, have been daubed with graffiti.
Demonstrators smashed down metal barriers as police struggle to contain the violence.
So far 22 people have been arrested. A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said that by 8.30pm they had treated 37 people, 31 of whom had been taken to hospital.
Officers have tried to maintain control in Westminster by keeping demonstrators inside Parliament Square and are now attempting to clear people from the area.
Met police commissioner Paul Stephenson said it was a "disappointing day for London" and pledged to launch a full investigation into who was responsible for the violence.
A police spokesman added: "This has nothing to do with peaceful protest.
"Students are involved in wanton vandalism, including smashing windows in Oxford and Regent Streets.
"It has gone so far that a car in which the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of
Cornwall were travelling through the West End was attacked.
"Police managed the situation and they were unharmed."
Superintendent Julia Pendry criticised protesters who were "intent on causing violent disorder" and said police had responded "proportionately" to the violence.
One student in Parliament Square said earlier: "We have been to every exit and all the police are telling us we cannot leave.
"There are gangs of youths randomly attacking people with sticks but the police are doing nothing about it."
Demonstrators are angry at university fees being increased to up to £9,000 per year, although many students distanced themselves from the violence.
Today's march in the capital began at University London Union, in Malet Street, at 12pm.
Students earlier streamed through Russell Square, Holborn, Kingsway, Aldwych, Strand, Trafalgar Square, Admirals Arch, Horse Guards Road, Great George Street into Parliament Square hoping to get to Whitehall.
Just before 2pm, a smoke bomb or flare was thrown over the lines of police vans and filled the air with red smoke near the Carriage Gates entrance to Parliament.
The violence began to escalate at around 3pm.
Officials, activists and members of some of the country's biggest trade unions joined the march.
Trade union banners were earlier evident among the crowd including Unison, the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Public and Commercial Services union.
Other protests have been taken part across the country.
A march in Brighton, East Sussex, passed off peacefully with only one arrest for a public order offence after someone failed to remove an offensive banner from display.
No comments:
Post a Comment