UK: Dozens of protesters arrested just yards from Downing Street after violence breaks out on strike march

James Chapman and Richard Hartley-parkinson
The Daily Mail, UK
Thu, 30 Jun 2011 06:26 UTC

• Protesters stage 'sit-in' on Whitehall as police try to re-open the road
• Up to 1million children stayed at home as two-thirds of schools hit
• Just one in five civil servants took part in strike action
• Dozens of people have been arrested for various offences
• Leave cancelled for 10,000 police officers to control any violence
• 192 out of 202 999 operators in London join the walkout

Riot police today swooped and arrested protesters as violence broke out during pension reform protests.

A large group split from the main demonstration, pushing over a fence before being penned in by over 100 police in Central London.

There were some scuffles between officers and protesters after fears that anarchists might infiltrate the march were realised close to Downing Street.

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This protester is one of several arrested along Whitehall as a group broke from the main crowd and rushed towards Downing Street

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After troubles settled on Whitehall, some protesters staged a 'sit-in' but were swiftly removed by police

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A police officer holds down a protester in Whitehall during the one-day strike

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Four officers carry a defiant protester away from the troubles in Central London after what was an otherwise peaceful day

The group was making its way along Whitehall and past Downing Street when the trouble broke out and, after arrests were made, police formed lines with about 40 people hemmed in.

Some of the protesters wore face masks and sunglasses to try and shield their faces while police wore caps and had helmets at the ready by their sides but thankfully they did not have to be used.

When troublemakers were eventually cleared, police tried to clear Whitehall to allow traffic to move more freely but a large group of protesters sat a stage in before they were removed one by one.

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A crowd of protesters snakes through London as marches take place across the country, sparked by a proposed increase in the retirement age for public sector workers and having to pay more into their pensions

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Protesters kept their message brief and simple as they turned out in force on the streets of London

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A man dressed as a clown rests on a wall after a hard day's marching

Thousands of people gathered in cities across the UK earlier today to take part in mass demonstrations against pension reforms - with scuffles breaking out this afternoon on Whitehall in central London.

A breakout group knocked fences over and charged along the road which runs from the Houses of Parliament.

Pickets were formed outside schools, courts, job centres and airports as public sector workers walked out over the Government's plans.

The marches will rub salt into the wounds of parents forced to stay at home with an estimated one million children off school, as 750,000 teachers and other public sector workers go on strike.

Riot police were put on standby in anticipation of trouble in Central London, as anarchist group Black Bloc threatened 'a day of rage' and 10,000 officers have had their leave cancelled.

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Police keep a firm hold on one of the demonstrators on a day that saw 10,000 officers have their leave cancelled

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A public sector worker prepares to take part in a march through London in Lincoln's Inn Fields

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Thousands of public sector workers mass in central London today. Police fear the demonstration will turn violent as anarchist group Black Bloc tries to infiltrate the march

There was some pushing and shoving this afternoon outside Charing Cross railway station and a crowd of people followed police through the station demanding the release of man who had been arrested.

In a desperate bid to keep the country moving, civil servants have even been told they can take their children to work with them and David Cameron urged private sector bosses to do the same.

The workers are protesting against plans to increase the age of retirement to 66 and raise the amount they pay in pension contributions.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said today he is 'disappointed' at strike action by teachers but remains confident that a bitter dispute over pensions can be resolved.

Along with schools minister Nick Gibb he visited primary school Durand Academy in Lambeth, London, this morning, which has remained fully open today.

He said: 'I feel disappointed that people have chosen to go out on strike today. I understand that there are really strong feelings about pensions and we absolutely want to ensure that everyone in the public, especially teachers, have decent pensions.

But I just don't think it's a good idea to have gone out on strike today.

'We're still in negotiations and the people who really lose out as a result of today's strike are children who are not in school enjoying their lessons, and in particular hard-working parents, who have been put to quite a lot of inconvenience as a result of this action.'

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: 'These strikes are wrong at a time when negotiations are still going on but parents and the public have been let down by both sides because the Government has acted in a reckless and provocative manner.

'After today's disruption, I urge both sides to put aside the rhetoric, get round the negotiating table and stop it happening again.'

Scotland Yard was forced to pull officers off the beat today to cover for nine in 10 emergency call handlers who joined the public sector strikes.

All police leave in the capital was cancelled to help cope with the walkouts by civilian staff.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson told a Metropolitan Police Authority meeting earlier that 90 per cent of 999 call handlers did not turn up to work.

Since then, Scotland Yard has said that figure is now 95 per cent and calls were taking 15 seconds to answer instead of the usual 10.

The Met insisted emergency services would not be adversely affected, with extra police officers drafted in to take their place.

By this afternoon 26 people had been arrested as thousands of officers took part in the major security operation across the country.

London's mayor Boris Johnson repeated his call for changes to employment law so that more workers would have to take part in a ballot before a strike can go ahead.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he wanted the Government to take action to protect the public, as well as those workers who do not vote for strikes.

He complained of 'very low' turnouts in industrial action ballots of around a third of those entitled to vote, and said he would like to see legislation begin in areas where the service had a monopoly, such as public transport.

Airports are currently running smoothly according to operator BAA, which said there are no significant immigration delays.

A spokesman added: 'We're disappointed that industrial action by the PCS trade union may cause delays to passengers at the UK border later today but the contingency plans put in place by the UK Border Agency seem to be working well currently.'

Border control managers scrambled to fill spaces in an attempt to keep passengers on the move, but as airports become busier today, they are still at risk of grinding to a halt.

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Sheffield: A man was led away by police after remonstrating with public sector protesters near City Hall

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Liverpool: Children joined their parents for protests today as hundreds of workers took to the streets

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London: The marches rub salt into the wounds of parents forced to stay at home as two thirds of schools are hit

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NUT demonstrators make their point as they march through the capital

The PCS said it was encouraged by support from its members and announced that it had recruited 2,000 extra members in the past few weeks.

'We are expecting the best supported strike we have ever seen,' said one official.

Workers insist it is unfair to ask them to work longer and contribute more to their pensions.

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Concealing their faces, Socialist Worker members take part in the demonstrations

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Police stand prepared on Whitehall during the industrial action

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A young man is held by police officers during a march on Whitehall

But official figures showed that every working family in Britain is currently liable for £13,500 to cover teachers' pensions alone - a 90 per cent increase in real terms over the past decade.

And a poll of public sector workers showed that 62 per cent think striking will not make any positive difference to the pension dispute.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, who is leading talks with the unions, vowed Britain 'will not buckle' in the face of industrial action and insisted the country's 'Dunkirk spirit' would keep many schools and other services running.

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Demonstrators march past the Houses of Parliament

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Protesters made their way along the Strand, left, towards Trafalgar Square before heading down Whitehall, right, and past Downing Street and on to Westminster Hall

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London Mayor, pictured today with Samantha Cameron at the launch of Team London, called for changes to employment legislation so that more workers would have to take part in a ballot before a strike can go ahead

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Shortly before protesters clashed with police outside the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street, David Cameron met with the Duke of Edinburgh at a ceremony Buckingham Palace for the Prince's 90th birthday

'I urge public sector workers to go to work today,' Mr Maude said. Civil servants who want to go to work, but whose children's schools are closed, have been invited to bring them to the office, he revealed in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.

He suggested private companies should allow staff to do the same wherever feasible.

Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the NUT, said the early indications were that 'large numbers' of schools were affected by the action, around 80 per cent.

The Government, however, said that it was more likely to be two thirds.

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Education secretary Michael Gove visited Durand Academy in South London this morning - one of the third of schools that have stayed open despite strike action

'We realise that's very disruptive for parents,' he said, 'and we do regret that. We had hoped to reach a settlement before the industrial action, but the Government isn't serious about talks.'

Government sources said that around two thirds of schools had been hit by the strikes with a third closing and a third being partially closed.

Even Eton and Wellington College will be disrupted as up to 6,000 private school teachers plan to walk out.

Although no private schools have said they will close, almost all teachers working in fee-paying schools are members of the disputed Teachers' Pension Scheme. As private-sector workers, they face expulsion from the scheme under the planned reforms.

However, private school heads have been advised that they are contractually obliged to fee-paying parents to keep their school open.

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Brighton: Between 3,000 and 4,000 people turned out in Brighton today to protest

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Bristol: The centre of the city was a flood of blue flags as workers took to the streets

Elsewhere, only one in five civil servants joined strikes and contingency plans worked on in secret for months wered deployed to keep border controls and courts running.

Managers have been trained to step in to conduct airport passport checks, while courts prioritised the most urgent cases.

Suggestions that air travellers should change their plans if possible were downplayed. Officials said some delays on arrival at airports were possible, but that departures would not be affected.

However, Christine Blower, the National Union of Teachers leader, has warned that industrial action could last for months, with various unions joining forces in further strike action if negotiations falter.

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Around 100 police surrounded a camp set up in Trafalgar Square this morning where anti-pension reform protesters stayed overnight

She told The Times: 'This is a co-ordinated campaign and we happen to be in the first phase of it. There's a significant amount of momentum behind this.'

Ministers say public sector pensions will remain 'among the very best available', providing a guaranteed income for all employees - something enjoyed by very few in the private sector.

But they argue staff must pay more in contributions and work for longer before drawing their pension, as most private sector workers in schemes have had to do.

The scale of Britain's unfunded public sector liabilities was dramatically illustrated by official figures showing the country faces a bill of more than £900billion over the decades ahead.

That is three times the national debt of crisis-hit Greece - or more than the debts of Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland combined.

Mr Maude said: 'Many parents who have had to take the day off work to look after their children who should be in school today will be wondering: why are some teachers and civil servants striking now? Don't they have better pensions than me?'

'They are right to question the motives of the very small numbers of unions who are determined to cause disruption to the public, because this strike is premature and it is wrong.'

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Manchester: Staff from the city magistrates' Court formed a picket this morning

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Teachers at Stretford High School in east Manchester formed a picket line early this morning

The minister said no public sector worker should consider joining strike action when 'serious talks' about public service pension reform - set up at the request of the Trades Union Congress itself - are still ongoing.

'The provision of good, high quality public service pensions goes to the very heart of the kind of society we are and that is not going to change,' he added.

'I can reassure public sector workers today that their pensions will remain among the very best available. We will do everything we can to protect the lower paid.

'Those close to retirement will see little, if any, change. And what's more, public sector pension schemes will continue to provide a guaranteed pension level for all employees - something which very few in the private sector have access to.

'But people today are living much longer; so we're proposing people should work for longer before drawing their pension, and we're asking employees to pay more towards the cost of their pension.

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The long wait: Passengers have been warned to expect severe delays today at border control

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School's out: Around a million school children won't receive an education today as teachers join the strike

This makes for a fairer balance between what employees pay and what other taxpayers have to pay.'
Mr Maude said the 'vast majority' of the public sector would be at work today 'keeping vital front line services running'.

'Britain will not buckle. We have rigorous contingency plans in place to ensure that essential services will run during any strike action.

'I know that communities and families will also be pulling together to help keep schools open, demonstrating the Dunkirk, Big Society spirit which is so much part of the fabric of this country,' he added.

He conceded that where schools do close, parents will face 'massive inconvenience'.