Globalise Resistance

Much of this information summarises the more detailed reports on Indymedia.

All day

Hackney Council Workers on Strike
Thousands of workers are striking against cuts.

5am

Breakfast for Police
Evening Standard reports that 1400 police eat “a traditional English breakfast” at a “marquee in East London” - total cost ¬£20,000.

8am

Critical Mass Bike Rides Set Off
350 people on Eastern branch, 200 on Western. Picture shows scene at Liverpool St station as cyclists gather. (Much larger version on Indymedia site.)

8am

Protest at Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel
Joined by GPs, nurses, health workers, Greens and Socialist Alliance. Royal London is threatened with privatisation under the government’s PFI scheme.

10am

Critical Mass Bike Rides Arrive at King’s Cross
Animal activists give out free veggie burgers in front of McDonald’s. Cyclists blockade road. By

10.40

there are 1000 demonstrators. Police force crowd towards Euston station, where they protest outside Railtrack headquarters.

12 noon

Around 1000 People from Critical Mass Bike Ride at Euston Station Plaza
Police have surrounded entire area, are refusing to let people leave. Police plan to search everyone for weapons before allowing them to leave.

12 noon

Pall Mall
Protesters build houses out of cardboard boxes to highlight the number of homeless people in London.

12.45pm

Protest Against Student Fees
Around 200 people protest at Malet St.

12.45pm

Back at Euston…
150 people still left - police only letting people out through one exit and searching them all as they leave.

12.45pm

Anti-Privatisation Picnic, Elephant and Castle
300 protesters, including Wombles. Sound system, relaxed atmosphere.

1pm

Protest at Coutts, the royal bank
100 people, wearing pink wigs and carrying balloons. Banner unfurled reading “Break the bank, end all debt, abolish money.” Police surround action and prevent late arrivals from joining.

1pm

Globalise Resistance Protest at World Bank
Around 300 people gather with fat cat placards and dollar signs, chanting about how the World Bank exploits the poor.

1.30pm

Trade union march, North London
Up to 1500 people join march organised by South East Region TUC. Police close off Upper St and Essex Rd to traffic as march approaches Angel. (Picture, right)

2pm

Pentonville Prison
Small protest faces serious police harassment: protesters forced up against wall and searched by police who arrive in two unmarked vans.

2.20pm

Oxford Circus
Around 2000 people now at Oxford Circus. Police block off area with 20 vans each to North and South. People can’t enter the area or leave it. Atmosphere in crowd relaxed. There is an eyewitness account on Indymedia of Oxford Circus at this point.

2.25pm

Lambeth Bridge
Around 400 people from Elephant and Castle event prevented by police from crossing bridge into Central London

3.10pm

Oxford Circus
Police change from ordinary uniforms to riot gear. Tension mounts in crowd. Some arrests in next hour. Large numbers of people around Oxford Circus outside police lines. Emergency ambulances waiting in side streets. Picture, right, shows ambulance workers in overalls and crash helmets waiting in Regent St.

4.30pm

Holles St, by side of John Lewis
300 people with a samba band march into Holles St, round corner from Oxford Circus. Good humoured crowd. Police form lines at both end of street - people prevented from going into Oxford St, and also from leaving.

5pm

Central London
Police have blocked traffic from entering a large area of Central London, as far north as Marylebone Road.

5.30pm

West of Oxford Circus
Reports that Wombles and around 1000 demonstrators have broken through police lines. Actor Anna Carteret, who one played policewoman Juliet Bravo on TV, was allowed to leave around now - her statement is here.

6.30pm

Oxford Circus, Holles St
Large groups of protesters still trapped in both areas. BBC News 24 reports that atmosphere still generally good, but frustration growing - protesters chant “We Want Out.” There has been heavy rain during the afternoon, people are wet and tired.

7pm

Oxford Circus, Holles St
Crowd at Oxford Circus pushed into centre of area, causing a crush: no-one being released yet. People now being released from Holles St one by one, after being searched and photographed. BBC reports there have been 24 arrests so far.

8pm

Oxford Circus
It’s beginning to get dark. Police still now allowing people to leave Oxford Circus - in very small groups or individually. Most protesters have now been there for six hours. Number of arrests now over 40. Police say that 5000 people attended Oxford Circus protest. Evening Standard claims 6000 police involved in policing operation. We have a statement from one protester trapped at Oxford Circus for eight hours. see other reports.