Police prepare for May Day
By Jonathan Moore
The Metropolitan police have confirmed they are beginning preparations ahead of a planned march and rally in London tomorrow.
A Met statement said they expected the marchers to begin gathering at 12:00 BST in Clerkenwell Green before moving towards Trafalgar Square at 13:00 BST.
They are expected to arrive in the square at approximately 16:30 BST for a rally.
“An appropriate policing operation will be in place,” a Met spokesman said.
Police operations will be carefully observed following several allegations of excessive force made against the Met during the recent G20 protests.
The death of 47-year-old Ian Tomlinson is currently being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPPC) along with several other complaints of violence from the protests on April 1.
May 1 marks International Workers’ Day and is celebrated across the world. In the past such marches in London have erupted into violence, most memorably in 2000 when protestors vandalised the Cenotaph, a statue of Winston Churchill and a branch of McDonalds.
A group of self-described ‘anarchitects’ known as the Space Hijackers are also planning to get involved.
During the G20 protests the group parked a blue armoured personal carrier with mock police checks down the side in front of the Royal Bank of Scotland building and offered the police assistance in keeping away ‘bad’ demonstrators.
