Community | April 01, 2009 | 25 comments

FLASH: G20 protesters smash windows, enter Royal Bank of Scotland

source: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/35000_protest_G20_in_London_0401.html

bansheewail
(AP: THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information.) "G-20 protesters in downtown London have smashed windows and entered the Royal Bank of Scotland building. They have also tried to storm the Bank of England.

"At least 4,000 protesters have jammed into London's financial district for demonstrations Wednesday. Protesters broke windows and scrawled the word "thieves" on the side of the Royal Bank of Scotland building.

"Protesters were also pelting riot police with eggs and fruit and confronting them at barricades.

"Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Barack Obama held a news conference in London ahead of the Group of 20 summit being held Thursday. World leaders are gathering with hopes of resolving the global financial crisis.

"Eight people have been arrested in the G-20 demonstrations so far. There have been no reports of injuries.
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25 comments // FLASH: G20 protesters smash windows, enter Royal Bank of Scotland // Video

  • Anyother
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  

    • There ARE many organizations in the United States that are protesting THIS event and a multitude of other kinds of injustice and oppression. They don't have the resources to seek YOU out, and they don't get coverage by the mainstream media. YOU have to do a little work to search THEM out if you want to be a part of the fight (I am talking about, say, 60 minutes with Google, not three months of pounding the pavement). Of course today's protests are NOT a mirror image of the fights of the 60s. That was fun and all, but today's issues require strategies that work in today's environment -- that recognize today's realities. The "Establishment" of today is a hell of a lot more sophisticated in the tools it uses than it was in the 60s (the comparison between Nixon and Kennedy in their debate is a very good example on many different levels). The opposition itself may not be any smarter, but they have highly-paid media consultants and sophisticated marketing plans and rafts and rafts of lawyers. Headbands, fringed jackets, and peace signs are quaint, but they aren't quite enough these days. And on the other side of the coin, blowing up police stations is not exactly the image you want to convey in post 9/11 America.

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • cztheday:

      Heres one for you, would throwing tea in a harbor be a bad image to convey post 9/11 and if so does that mean our country was founded on the ideals that we are now fighting against?

      If you say yes to the second question then you are admitting we have entered a state in our nations history where we are no longer on the side of rightousness but rather tyranny.

    • 3 years ago
  • daniob
    • 0
      daniob  

    • People say that violence is not the answer, but when citizens concerns constantly get shuffled aside, how long should people sit on their hands? It is good to see that they can still be passionate enough to do something, and have the capability to do so. How else is history to be changed?

    • 3 years ago
  • neocongo
    • 0
      neocongo  

    • Why are European governments so much less afraid to let their citizens rightfully blow off a little steam than America's government?

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
  • unphiltered
    • 0
      unphiltered  

    • Break that shit down, cause a disturbance, and fight back. Sorry folks, but our "peacefulness" along with our lack of organization for a national demonstration is exactly why we are getting screwed in the ass.

      If Americans had the balls to organize, start with a demonstration and escalate to this... we would not have bailouts, illegal weed, or corruption. It's how this country was founded. We created a country off of the basis of simple tax on tea....c'mon folks, grow a pair.

      "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -Thomas Jefferson...

    • 3 years ago
  • Scarabus
    • 0
      Scarabus  

    • Having served my college and grad school stint during the 1960s, I'm definitely a "Make love, not war" kinda guy. Nevertheless, I would add two qualifications.

      First, in addition to lynchings or attacks on peaceful civil rights marchers, Americans do indeed get caught up in mob violence. Black Americans have done it after such outrages as the MLK murder and the Rodney King beating. White Americans do it, regularly, after a professional sports team wins a championship. (Implications worth considering on another occasion.)

      Second, Europeans (especially young people) often go to the barricades to protest injustice and promote justice. Their understanding of which position will best advance what they seek might be faulty. But their motivation is noble, and they do at least care enough to put themselves on the line for what they believe in.

      Young people in the U.S. used to do that ... 50 years ago. Now? Not so much. I teach college. At my institution the nice, middle class kids don't even know about social and political issues. But they do know about dorm/drinking rules and sorority/fraternity stuff.

      For example, today as many as a fourth of my students were wearing tee-shirts advertising their commitment to sorority life. As few as 1% of my students have ever come to class wearing tee-shirts promoting human rights, or social or political justice.

      Violence is bad. But I can't help thinking apathy is worse.

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • Scarabus:

      YEA RIGHT ON!

      Americans are such cowards. Im sorry that whole hippie movement failed to stop anything thats happening now because frankly they just gave up. You cant just claim victory over such an institution but yet watch as it continued and got worse! How can we even say ghandi was successful in his efforts, india has remained all but a colony of england finacially and politically just like africa yet subvertly instead of overtly.

      I do not understand at all how people can think peaceful protest does anything at all but make new polititians get elected that turn and do the same thing, look at obama for example. He is all but Bush Jr the second and he is the result of 8 years of peaceful protest?

      You got to be freaking joking me. Tell me one peaceful REAL revolution and you got my ear, till then people need to stfu about it already.

    • 3 years ago
  • abipolarmind
    • 0
      abipolarmind  

    • Makes me proud to be an American with our peaceful protests, not riots. Many people pay attention to the causes behind these violent protesters and end up taking a strong stance in opposition to the cause.

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • abipolarmind:

      While you get ran over by a bulldozer I'll be watching the other end of non-violence, namely violence. Have fun sacrificing yourself to stop nothing. If the hippies won the fight they keep claiming to have done then wtf are we doing in afgan, iraq, and so many other countries all around the world? If you ask me its an utter failure, wheres the true outrage... not the oh it'll be ok lets walk around the streets and party afterwards. Idiots.

    • 3 years ago
  • billtope
  • IMMININT
  • ClipsFC
    • 0
      ClipsFC  

    • People are angry and partly justifiable so. Shame they have to take it out on property and possibly risking the safety of those inside the bank. There is a way you can protest and still get your message across. Great Video catch on your part, thanks for great updates on this!

    • 3 years ago
  • ClipsFC
    • 0
      ClipsFC  

    • People are angry and partly justifiable so. Shame they have to take it out on property and possibly risking the safety of those inside the bank. There is a way you can protest and still get your message across. Great Video catch on your part, thanks for great updates on this!

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • ClipsFC:

      Its a shame that people think the government isnt owned by the people. Its a shame that the elite think they can spit in the face of the poor, laugh at them and expect peaceful protest. Its a shame that people have been dumbed down so much they think sitting there on the ground is going to make some fat cat stop eating until his stomach bursts. Its a shame that you represent so many american cowards that think a little sign and long days in the sun will work just because the ideology is popular, think for yourself..

      What isnt a shame is that people that were screwed over took out their frustations and directed their anger towards the people who allowed it to happen, who continue to do it and who will do it again.

      Why do we, the people, cowar at the thought of TRUE change?

    • 3 years ago
  • Denica_Cassandra
    • 0
      Denica_Cassandra  

    • :) it's not the majority of protestors but these people have every right to be angry. he said eight people were arrested out of "thousands" of protestors, and yet those are the ones that are going to be on TV. The press doesn't care about peaceful protest.
      A photographer told me so @ the 2nd Bush inauguration. We asked why she didn't take photos of some of the signs, or the activities and she said she was just waiting for someone (protestor) to "get out of line." She said that was the kind of photos she was interested in.

    • 3 years ago
  • Scarabus
    • 0
      Scarabus  
    • Denica_test:

      You remind me of what happened at the RNC in St. Paul. Especially that "video-op" where the police chief showed everyone the urine and feces the evildoers planned to throw at the Godly GOP delegates.

      Reality? The people his minions had arrested were seriously concerned about responsible use of natural resources. The content of the containers was water diverted from the downstairs sinks, to be taken upstairs to flush toilets rather than sent to the sewer. No urine. No feces. Just responsible citizenship.

    • 3 years ago
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • Denica_test:

      Well the hippie movement was non-violent and they utterly failed to stop what is STILL happening.

      The idea was lets join them and change them from the inside, right? Ask most hippies that did that and you will find they are still against war but are "powerless to do anything about it". All it took was a shot in MLK and JFK to shut them the f up... this generation better grow some balls fast.

      If you ask me the whole ghandi thing is a waste of time, if your gona do something... do it right. I wonder if he actually thought england stoped controlling india politically and economically. What fools these mortals be.

    • 3 years ago
  • Scarabus
  • Bren589
  • bansheewail
  • lordd42
    • 0
      lordd42  
    • bansheewail:

      Wow you are moron... governments that bomb children just to make people in the country listen and you have the balls to tell protesters to not be violent? You are talking to the wrong people, you should look at who is really violent and who is protesting a violent government.

      In what way, shape or form has their message been clouded? I think you are looking at information before internet where there was only the TV, news papers and radio aka state propaganda machines.

    • 3 years ago
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