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@PinkGottiMobbs
This is a piece written by Sarah about what we witnessed:
Having followed Climate Camp's official Twitter page all day, I was keen to see more of the talks, music and cake sales they'd been promoting. It had always been billed as a completely peaceful demonstration, nothing like the minority of anarchist rioters causing trouble around the Bank of England earlier in the day, and in fact nothing to do with these groups
I walked down to Climate Camp with friends at about 6.30pm. It was packed with tents and people, most sitting round in small groups, playing music or chatting. There were families, some children and a lot of young people. The atmosphere was jovial and completely peaceful. The extent of the 'anarchy' appeared to be people drawing small slogans and pictures about protecting the planet in chalk on some building walls. There were even litter stewards walking round collecting rubbish.
I walked down to the south end of the camp, where there were three police vans (plus a lot more further down the road, and by the Bank of England) and lines of riot police assembling. At first we couldn't understand why riot police were there (the trouble makers had aledgedly already been rounded up and were being held around the Bank of England, and further down Bishopsgate towards London Bridge). Having literally just walked all the way through the camp, I certainly didn't notice any anarchists in their trademark scarves and hoodies.
Then, all of a sudden and without any warning, the two lines of riot police charged the south end of the Climate Camp. Fortunately we were standing just behind them, in an area that moments before was just members of the public and police milling about. The riot police stampeeded into the front lines of the Climate Camp, trampelling tents, bikes and banners. They used their riot shields and batons to beat those at the front of the camp who had been sitting down peacfully to mark the edge of the camp beforehand. The aggessive pushing, shoving and beating carried on for perhaps 15 minutes, until the police had pushed back the south edge of the camp by about 10-15 meters. Apparently they were doing the same at the other end of the enclosed stretch of street, compressing the peaceful protesters and quickly igniting fear and anger. I saw protestors leaving the crowd with bloodied faces, but the only person who was removed by medical staff was a policewomen in full riot gear.
The police action was frightening, aggressive and at times violent, a seemingly unnecessary use of force on a group of entirely peaceful protestors, who had already publicly and repeatedly stated the aim and the duration (24 hours) of Climate Camp, and were not trying to viciously vandalise buildings, aggrevate the police, or endanger passers by. My friend who'd arrived at the camp just an hour earlier described talks and cake sales that were going on in the camp. He had walked from London Bridge to visit the Camp, and vivdily described the difference between the minority 'anarchist' rioters elsewhere, and the peaceful, friendly family atmosphere of the Climate Camp.
The police aggression towards Climate Camp did nothing but incite panic, and then rage, as protesters turned from peacfully going about their business to shouting, chanting and eventually throwing things.