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| Britain |
| G20 protesters attack Bank of England |
| 2009-04-02 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] G20 protesters clashed with riot police in downtown London yesterday, breaking into the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland and smashing its windows. Earlier, they tried to storm the Bank of England and pelted police with eggs and fruit. At least 4,000 Some protesters spray-painted the side of the RBS building with the phrases "class war" and "thieves." Others pushed against columns of riot police who swatted them away with batons. Demonstrators shouted "Abolish Money!" and clogged streets in the area known as "The City" even as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama held a news conference elsewhere in the British capital. At least eight people were arrested but there were no serious injuries reported. Royal Bank of Scotland is at the center of protesters' anger because it had to be bailed out by the British government after a series of disastrous deals brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. The bank is now majority-owned by the British taxpayer. Helicopters hovered above the protests and some buildings were boarded up. Many banks had extra security and hundreds of police officers lined the streets. Demonstrators hoisted effigies of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse," representing war, climate chaos, financial crimes and homelessness. "The greed that is driving people is tearing us apart," said Steve Lamont, 45, flanked by his family and protesters who were banging on bells, playing drums and blowing whistles. One police officer lost his helmet and demonstrators tossed it around like a trophy and chanted slogans. Fearing they would be targeted by protesters, some bankers swapped their pinstripe suits for casual wear and others stayed home. Bolder financial workers leaned out their office windows yesterday, taunting demonstrators and waving 10 pound notes at them. Especially in Britain, bankers have been lambasted as being greedy and blamed for the recession that is making jobless ranks soar. Protesters waved banners reading "Banks are evil," "Eat the bankers," and "0% interest in others." One protester dressed as the Easter bunny managed to hop through the police cordon but was stopped before he could reach the Bank of England. Another black-clad demonstrator waved a fake light saber at officers. Musician and political activist Billy Bragg said the time was now to make a difference. "It's better than sitting down shouting at the television at these bankers," he said. "We cannot go back to the way things were before to the million-dollar bonus culture." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 At the circus during the high wire act if you blink out the act and look around you'd see in the other rings lots of stuff going on. This protest makes me wonder what is going on that the carnavel is getting the attention. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2009-04-02 16:28 |
| #7 The Queen got bailed out by US taxpayers and she doesn't even pay taxes in the UK? I don't know why US capitalists aren't up in arms on Capitol Hill! |
| Posted by: Thealing Borgia122 2009-04-02 11:25 |
| #6 Majority owned by the British taxpayer? How much US taxpayer money went into that bailout?? |
| Posted by: Zorba Craising6734 2009-04-02 10:55 |
| #5 And just to get everyone's undivided attention, through the smoke of the batteries first volley a very aggressive 200m bayonet charge! Bring the guns forward and.... BEGIN ANEW! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-02 09:46 |
| #4 Oh, for the days when you could line up a section of twelve-pounders loaded with cannister in the street & have a leather-lunged bailiff read the Act. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-04-02 09:40 |
| #3 One protester dressed as the Easter bunny managed to hop through the police cordon but was stopped before he could reach the Bank of England. Another black-clad demonstrator waved a fake light saber at officers. Well, obviously, these people should be taken seriously... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-04-02 09:24 |
| #2 These idiots need to be forced to live in a society that "abolishes money". See how long they'd last before starving to death. FWIW, the four horsemen of the apocalypse were pestilence, war, famine, and death not "war, climate chaos, financial crimes and homelessness" or other tranzi foolishness. |
| Posted by: Spot 2009-04-02 08:33 |
| #1 Just to show you how corrupt and inane the MSM are - more attention is paid to these spoiled idiots than to what is really going on at the meetings - which is more important. Also, the number of protesters in London is equal to the number of protestors at the Cincinnati Tea Party but never a word or TV coverage of that by the MSM. They are becoming more irrelevant each day. I expect to see ads for Publix pretty soon on Rantburg with coupons you can print for fresh Mayport shrimp and Zephyrhills water. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-04-02 08:17 |