London G20 protest turns deadly

Here's a really good opinion piece by Johann Hari from the Independent explaining why we need to listen to the protesters, and why we shouldn't be content to sit at home in silence anymore.

what the hell is going on.. what are we ever going to achieve by one normal person attacking another - this is absurd.

and the whole thing captured, streamed and twittered live to feed the hungry desires of the watching worldwide audience.. but all in less than 140 characters.. or else..

it worked for Gandhi and it will work again, sit down, breath deeply, stop going to work, stop consuming, protest each and every day.. don't make it a special occasion, all hyped up and testosterone flowing... non-violence is key.

My friend saw this and was not impressed:

"nothing beats the most touching moment of yesterday, when a protestor collapsed with a heart attack, the police tried to pick him up and help him, so more idiots started throwing stuff at the police so they couldn't move him. He died in the end. Nice one protestors."

"watching people verbally abusing and physically attacking policemen who were simply standing there in silence, or people who had gone to work that day wearing a suit and had gone out to buy a sandwich at lunchtime, or smashing up a bank that the British taxpayers themselves have just bought a large part of is possibly the most cowardly, bigoted and pathetic behaviour I have ever seen."

I wonder what all these people would do if they didnt have something to moan about?

If the world was all perfect they'd be completely gutted wouldnt they?

The main groups who protested yesterday are doing a slow march through the City to pay tribute to the man who died yesterday.

PHILLINJA makes some pretty good points. I'm all for the people getting out there and protesting as long as they know what they are protesting about. It does seem that far too many people with nothing better to do than look for trouble were out yesterday and gave the genuine protest marchers a bad name. The way it was covered didn't help the message that people were trying to put out there. In the London Paper on the way home they had what they served up as the 'two sides of the argument, Banker v Protester' when you read on, the the person protesting was against climate change not exactly a match up is it? Lazy Journalism?

I feel for the genuine people who have lost jobs and protest because of this financial situation not the people who would be unemployed no matter what the economic circumstances.

I was out ther yesterday envoking my right to protest, waving my tenner at all the hippies and throwing eggs at the AIG building, but thats just a normal day in the office. I personally dont see what all the fuss is about half the people out there protesting havent got a clue what theyre protesting for, all they know is that it was the big bad banks and fat cat execs who landed us in "this mess"! But what mess? Some one show me one of those protesters who can explain to me exactly "what mess" our economy is in and how it came to pass. I bet you can barely find one maybe a handful at best, the rest are lazy lay about hippies more bothered about global warming and recycling (not entirely unrelated to the G20 summit, but not exactly its main focus) and have nothing better to do then collect their dole money and cause trouble... perhaps if they put the same effort into typing up their CV's and getting an education rather than protesting they might find themselves still in employment. Which lets face is why they are lashing out at decent hard working people who top up their doel money with OUR TAXES. Its the ur rich were poor scenario, lets protest and smash up a bank. Its a load of bollox!!!

Apparently there is a protester climbing up the outside of Lloyds of London in the City.

I can just make out a few coppers about half way up from my office window

Walked up to Bank at lunch, pretty funny scenes. Its was like a cross between Notting Hill and Glade

WTF is with the dead body just appearing at 7.30pm? That guy was totally hired by the media to expire so that headlines could read "Deadly G20 Riots".

karlos that sounds very much right the media hyping the negitvie aspects of the protest. I have not been down there and cant but my prayers and throughts go with the G20 and the protesters

Peace always

i went there last night around 20.00, it was very peacefull (well the protesters were). There was so many police in full riot gear, battons and sheilds ready to beat people down....

The protesters that set up a camp were blocked in, they couldnt get in or OUT, therefore no-one could go to the toilet, get a drink or go home. They was surrounded by police with shields and face masks, it was a boiling pot ready to burst, because the people were trapped!!!!

All you could here was the police buzzing around in their choppers and pointless-ly speeding around in their vans and cars with seirens blazing... This made people feel very uneasy, Pure mind games by the fuzz.

When you look at the media all you see and hear are the words "riots/ rioters" the words peace/ peacefull are never used because the media are planting the seeds in our brains that brian wash us into beliving that protesting is wrong and socially unacceptable..

When i came into work this morning it became very clear to me that im surrounded by mindless - brainwashed fools, like most people who cant think for themselves.

Welcome to 1984

From The Guardian:

"As protesters began to gather, after 11am, some City workers were seen waving £10 notes at them from office windows."

Smooth, guys. Reeeeal smooth.

Sadly the disruption takes away the gloss of an otherwise peaceful demonstration. When will these cretins learn that their violence and vandalism only dilute the message and create pariahs for the media.

You're so right I thought the same thing. The police seemed over provocative. What's with the media's estimates on the number of protesters the BBC says "Police estimate there to be around 5,000 - rubbish! There looked to be way more than that, RT (Russia Today) reckoned there were around 35,000 and that was at 13.00.