There’s an air of anger and urgency on the streets of London according to Alex Thomson who is following today’s protest against tuition fees.
It’s cold, it’s sunny and several thousand protesters are now leaving London Uni in the latest march in the capital against the tuition fee hike.
A lot of noise, urgency and anger are in the air because they know today is the day that the vote happens.Much of that anger personally directed at Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg: “Why did Clegg cross the road?”
“Because he promised he wouldn’t.” So goes one of the home made banners here.
There are wider slogans such as “Cut War not Welfare” or “F*** fees”.
The march is currently being held while speeches are made from a makeshift platform only a few hundred yards from the start point.
There is an enormous police presence, though so far those rather fetching light blue baseball caps are the fashion statement of security. All the officers I see have riot helmets slung from their belt.
Given that the fee hike will have been voted into law in all likelihood whilst thousands of protesters are still on the streets..it seems unlikely that everyone is going to simply shrug and take the bus home.
That it not to talk up the likelihood of violence, that is simply an observation that the last two major demonstrations on this issue have ended, if not in the lurid violence of tabloid fable, at least in a degree of disorder.
It is a fact that large numbers of protesters are already masked up that presumably not because of issues with shyness and self esteem.
Scuffles begin
The protest is approaching Aldwych area of London and hundreds of demonstrators have already broken off and are fighting police lines in the centre of the street.
The police are attempting to control them but it is quite clear that large numbers of people have been intent on fighting from the word go and police are shoving and man-handling protesters.
I’m watching a policeman lying injured on the ground, knocked to the floor by protesters who are now trying to make their way past the police line.
If the march continues in its present vain there’s an absolute certainty there will be considerable violence.
The mood of this demonstration is markedly different from all the other major demonstrations in the capital all of which I have personally witnessev.
Protesters on the move
Marchers are passing the Savoy Hotel of all places – with beefed up security.
After the odd skirmish moments ago several hundred marchers have split off up various side streets.
As they approach Trafalgar square the talk is about the police kettle and how to avoid being “kettled”.
But I have to say given the mood of things so far further confrontation with the police is now absolutely inevitable.
Parliament Square
Demonstrators are throwing fireworks, flares, canisters and bottles on both sides of police lines. Police are responding in riot gear with occasional baton charges.
Demonstrators are now all over Parliament Square ripping down barriers, ripping down scaffolding from parliament square to attack the police.
The scaffolding was only put up in the first place to prevent demonstrations.
The mounted police are leaving under a hail of objects; the horses here have proved entirely useless in terms of controlling a crowd.
Whatever onlookers and observers may say there are hundreds of people here very angry.
Some are attacking the police.
The police, so far, have not greatly responded to this but demonstrators have now out flanked police and are now right up against parliament itself.
If this continues it’s hard to see the current level of constraint continuing.
Largely peaceful
Thousands of protesters have come up against hundreds, possible even a thousand or more, police now in full riot gear.
One thing the protesters have achieved is to retake Parliament Square as a place of protest.
It is on the whole peaceful though as I predicted from the outset there are several hundred who, to be honest, are out for a scrap with the police.
On the whole the police have met hours of being the target of anything the protesters can throw with considerable restraint: none of the tear gas, water cannons, baton rams or concerted police charges which, it must be said, would be routine police responses in many other countries.
And so it continues.
From where I’m standing it’s not clear whether anybody is actually being “kettled” but it’s clear that the initial plan to move to the embankment looks like history.
It’s pretty obvious that just from a point of view of public safety hemming people in in Parliament Square is probably a better option that hemming people in next to the icy waters of the River Thames.
About 10 yards or so from where I’m standing there is sporadic fighting shoving and pushing with various things being thrown at lines of riot police.
But in truth most protesters here have remained peaceful.
Protesters refuse to move
Outside Westminster Abbey there are reinforcements of around 30 mounted police with riot officers fighting sporadic battles with protesters.
The police say the plan is to try to allow the protesters to leave Parliament Square and move to Victoria Embankment – the original location of the rally.
But because of the obvious importance of Parliament on this day of all days, the thousands of protesters are refusing to move out of Parliament Square and are continuing to fight ranks of riot police with anything to hand.