I couldn’t get to the demo at Trafalgar Square regarding Palestine as I had a Labour Representation Committee (LRC) meeting instead. Coming back from the meeting I was on a bus where we were chucked off just by Green Park Station. I walked towards Green Park Station where the cops had cordoned off much of the area leading towards Hyde Park Corner.
Both riot and ordinary cops had hemmed in demonstraters on the pavement towards Green Park Station. They were marching towards the Israeli Embassy when they were stopped. According to a photographer I spoke to there had been dead lock and tension between the cops and demonstraters.
I got there at around 5:30pm and stayed for an hour or so. The cops had surrounded the demonstraters and there were plenty of cops vans around as well. Like I said there was deadlock and when I left the riots cops hadn’t baton charged the demonstraters…as yet… so don’t know what happened.
Unfortunately, couldn’t get any good pix as my camera can’t handle night shots.
Sounds intense. The Police were not nearly as confident to go on the offensive in Melbourne today. They just let us march.
The Commune has a fairly detailed report:
http://thecommune.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/report-of-17th-january-palestine-demo-in-london/