The day began with several hundred people answering the call on social media to gather outside the Tory Party Headquarters. As the crowd swelled and the protest took to the streets hundreds more people joined the unofficial march and soon a defiant mob of over 2000 people brought Central London to a standstill.
The demonstrators thronged the streets from Trafalgar Square to Piccadilly Circus with a mobile sound system keeping spirits high. Chants of ‘Tory Scum’ and ‘Tory Cunts’ were met with an enthusiastic welcome from many passing motorists, bus drivers and even tourists. The crowd finally stopped outside the gates of Downing Street where a huge police presence had assembled to protect the heartland of state power.
As batons were drawn and riot police arrived scuffles broke out as an attempt was made to clear the streets of people. A bungled attempt at kettling the demonstrators was thwarted leaving only around 100 people trapped inside police lines. A tense stand off soon emerged as hundreds of coppers swarmed into Whitehall eventually pushing those outside the kettle down into Parliament Square. 17 people were arrested as police used a couple of minor injuries and some daft graffiti as a licence to throw their weight around but the truth is they were disorganised and taken by suprise and most people escaped unscathed.
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