Three buses ferrying Japanese delegates to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles were blockaded by a small group of protesters earlier this morning.

The buses, two of which were full of Japanese delegates, were blockaded for twenty minutes as they tried to leave the Sheraton Hotel in the West End of Edinburgh.

More than two hundred protesters were present at the site from 6am, but it took fewer than thirty people to delay the convoy as it tried to leave around 8.30.

Most protesters had left the area by the time the buses departed, but an upturned bin on Morrison Street and roughly ten protesters at each end of the convoy was enough to force at least minor irritation to the delegation.

Police nabbed one person involved in the action but he was released soon after.

Hundreds of police dressed in riot gear and carrying perspex shields, and hundreds more regular police, were present at the site when protesters first arrived at around 6am.

Traffic was disrupted for some time after the buses got out onto the open road, where they may well face further blockades.

One protester who was present said, "the blockade was only successful for a short time, but taken with the wider picture of other blockades on surrounding roads - including the M9/A9 road - it was undoubtable a success."

There is a callout for further bloackades of this site tomorrow.

Earlier report

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