Like the first cuckoo of spring the Evening Standrd anarchist mayday scare story is recycled by a couple of fearless web watching journos – watch out for Daily Mail follow up next week:
From Friday’s Evening Standard – last bit is lifted from this blog! Tellingly if you look at the comments on this piece in the Standard’s THIS IS LONDON website most of them are in support of the ideas of anarchists rioting in the city! Quite a change in attitude in the last few months!
‘Anarchists plan City riots for G20 leaders’ arrival in London
.Anti-globalisation activists are plotting a mass demonstration against bankers in the heart of the City, the Evening Standard can reveal. Police are on full alert ahead of the protest, planned for 1 April – the day world leaders arrive in London for the G20 summit. Thousands of demonstrators, including anarchists and anti-aviation activists, are planning a series of protests, aiming to capitalise on disenchantment with City financiers blamed for dragging the economy into recession. The event, dubbed ‘Financial Fools Day’, is likely to cause mass disruption as demonstrators try to block traffic and buildings by lying in tents and sleeping bags across the road. One source suggested the protest would include a “spectacular action”. Organisers said on the Climate Camp website: “Join us for camping, workshops, protest, positive alternatives, direct action and community. “We need to stop this foolishness… Bring a pop-up tent if you have one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile cinema, extra shoes, action plans and ideas… let’s imagine another world.” Protesters hope to mobilise “anti fat-cat” sentiment among students and workers affected by the credit crunch as they demonstrate against the financial system, and are inviting activists to “set up camp” in London’s financial centre. One environmentalist source said: “People are angry about losing their jobs and bankers still getting their bonuses. People are also up in arms about the Government bulldozing anti-airport legislation through as we saw with the third runway at Heathrow.” Despite police becoming adept at controlling such demonstrations and preventing widespread disorder of the type that occurred during the May Day and poll tax riots in the Nineties, there are fears small groups will wreak havoc. Police sources said: “Angry activists and aggressive City trader types are a volatile mix, as we have seen before.” During the 1999 City Riot, which left 46 people injured and caused up to £2 million damage, fights broke out between City workers and anarchists protesting in the streets and in private premises. The April protest has captured the imagination of anarchists. Some are plotting further demonstrations against the G20 on the day of the summit on 2 April. One protester said the example of Athens, where young Greeks have been rioting for several months since police shot dead a teenager, could provide further inspiration.
An anarchist blogged: “The combination of the recession, the inspiration of the Greek anarchists and the G20 summit being in London on 2 April gives us the opportunity to mobilise far larger than usual numbers on to the streets… Seize the time.”
Which anarchist would that be then? Cheeky bleeders!
Ian Bone 
You’re just a rent a quote Ian:) a very good one too.
Police are preparing for a “summer of rage” as victims of the economic downturn take to the streets to demonstrate against financial institutions, the Guardian has learned.
Britain’s most senior police officer with responsibility for public order raised the spectre of a return of the riots of the 1980s, with people who have lost their jobs, homes or savings becoming “footsoldiers” in a wave of potentially violent mass protests.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/23/police-civil-unrest-recession
Similar on Telegraph’s website and Daily Mail’s.
This story has legs – getting picked up across media, BBCc News . This from Telegraph (based on Guardian front page …based on Standard…based on ….this blog site?)
Quote ” The head of the force’s public order branch, Superintendent David Hartshorn, told the Guardian newspaper that since the credit crunch, activists have become more “intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder”.
He said he fears that known activists will use the anger over the economic crisis to stir up unrest.
Supt Hartshorn said: “Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven’t had the foot soldiers to actually carry out protests.
“Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest.”
He added that intelligence gathered from activists’ websites suggested that Britain is facing a “summer of rage” with April’s G20 summit being billed as a potential flash point.” Endquote
They have created a self fulfilling prophecy – advertise a riot, encourage a riot by hard policing = riot, ‘we were right chaps’.
Somebody should tell them that their job is to keep the peace and not to encourage disorder by advertising trouble. Now the police have encouraged all the troublemakers to descend as a mob, and radicals don’t have to do anything.
Feet up chaps and chapesses, save your money and energy, watch the trouble on the news at home or in the pub on Sky, and think about what trouble we can really cause next time;)
I think somebody should tell the police they are being stupid too, and the media, who are responsible for encouraging the disorder to come.
so, the old bill fancy a ruck and bit of overtime to spend on their hols…..a thinly veiled plea for support…remember 1919? I don’t!