The article below ties together both protestors and terrorists in threatening the city of london (ie the financial bit) - NB the way the paragraphs dip in and out of talking about mayday protests and bomb attacks!

Also interesting to see how scotland yard apparently think RTS could \"repeat the huge disruption it caused in the City last year\" - strange seeing as how nothing happened in the city last year (2 yrs ago in 1999 yes) and the fact that RTS seem to be doing little for this years Mayday.

Still at least they are consistant in their date errors:

"The City authorities are anxious to avoid a repeat of last June\'s violent anti-capitalist demonstrations, that led to 100 arrests and caused millions of pounds of damage to buildings in the Square Mile"

- no no no, the global Carnival against Capitalism in the city was on June 18th - 1999 - blimey you'd have thought they'd have remembered that correctly!

(or could they be just recycling old copy from last year?)

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City plans defence against anarchists

news.ft.com

By Francesco Guerrera and Jimmy Burns Published:

March 29 2001 20:06GMT

City of London authorities are to host a summit with the police, banks and brokers to draw up plans to defend the Square Mile from planned anti-capitalist rallies on May 1.

The meeting was called by the Corporation of London, the City's local authority, amid growing fears of street riots and possible renewed terrorist attacks at the beginning of May. The police fear that two high-profile events such as May Day and a possible general election on May 3 could encourage terrorists to mount a series of attacks in the capital.

Scotland Yard believes the "Reclaim the Streets" anarchist group could, on and around May 1, repeat the huge disruption it caused in the City last year. The Corporation of London is understood to have invited the Metropolitan Police, the City of London Police, the British Transport Police and financial institutions whose headquarters are in the City to meet in a fortnight's time

People close to the Corporation said the summit was part of routine security meetings but would deal mostly with the planned May Day rallies. The City authorities are anxious to avoid a repeat of last June's violent anti-capitalist demonstrations, that led to 100 arrests and caused millions of pounds of damage to buildings in the Square Mile.

Several investment banks are concerned that the City's reputation as a financial centre will be damaged if the area is the target of more riots.

Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, yesterday said pressures on policing would intensify if a general election were called for May 3.

Both the police and MI5, the security service, believe that dissident republicans opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland could be planning another attack on the mainland, and could use a general election campaign to boost their profile.

Intelligence gathering is being stepped up and all police leave has been cancelled during the first week of May. "There are indications that a sizeable minority of protesters are bent on violence towards the police, commercial institutions and government buildings," Sir John said on Thursday.

Police believe that dissident republicans are adopting a similar strategy to that followed by the mainstream IRA, switching tactics and stretching security resources to the full. As soon as an election date is announced, protection of key politicians will be stepped up, together with security around key buildings and shopping areas in London and other cities that could be the target of bomb attacks.

Dissident republicans are thought to have been behind a number of incidents in London over the past year, including an attack on the headquarters of MI6, the secret intelligence service.

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Previous mayday 2001 media madness at:

uk.indymedia.org=2650

uk.indymedia.org=2360

uk.indymedia.org=1726

uk.indymedia.org=1916