PETERS-DAY ON DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO PROTEST | HOW LONG IS YOUR NECK? | A CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
TheBeaver
23.10.2012
Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union FREE
Vandals wreak havoc on Oxford St.
Oxford Circus. Protesters began by attempting to occupy a hotel on The Future That Works march or- Great Marlborough Street, as well ganised by the Trades Union Con- forcibly entering a McDonalds. As the march continued, the gress, against austerity was marred by a small group of protesters, Sat- crowd headed towards Regent urday, who marched up and down Street and attempted to destroy a Oxford Street vandalising shops Boots shop window, as well as surrounding and rocking a convertible and disrupting traffic. The march itself, while peaceful, before police converged on the dissaw a group of mainly Black Bloc, turbance and let the car pass. The group then marched up and Solidarity Federation and AnonyPRXV SURWHVWHUV VSOLQWHU Rஉ IURP down Oxford Street vandalising the main group and head towards shops, including a number of StarLiam Brown and Matthew Worby
bucks and Boots outlets, chanting “Pay your taxes! Pay your taxes!” and “Whose streets? Our streets!” The crowd, made up mostly of students and young people, took aim at Primark as well as Marks and Spencer before police, who had pre-emptively told shop owners to close and lock their doors, took control and pushed them back. Towards the end of the march, there were a number of skirmishes between protesters and the police – including one incident in which a
protester smashed the window of a shop before being tackled by a police officer. These incidents came as a disappointment to many as the Trades Unions groups marched peacefully to Hyde Park to hear Labour Leader Ed Miliband address the crowd.
In-depth coverage of the march: - Editorial page 2 - Comment page 8
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