Skip to content or view screen version

Vigil today ongoing at Bank of England

Marina Pepper | 02.04.2009 14:15 | G20 London Summit | Repression | South Coast | World

Bank of England vigil underway for the man who died at yesterday's G20 Meltdown protest.

Around 200 protesters have gathered in the City, on the steps of the Old Exchange by the Bank of England. Their presence represents a spontaneous protest in solidarity for the man who died while kettled at G20 Meltdown yesterday.


No details of the man's death have been released. All that's known is he was around 30-years-old and died while kettled with thousands of others outside the Bank of England.

Demonstrators are demanding answers and an independent inquiry into the man's death. A wall of condolences for the man who died as sprung up. A minute silence was held also.

Police are operating an on off kettle policy. This appears to be a method of encouraging people to leave while they can.

The mood over all is calm. There have been waves of chanting: SHAME SHAME SHAME ON YOU and WHO'S STREETS? OUR STREETS! to the 200-odd police drafted in to "keep the peace."

While some protesters have left, many others continue to arrive. Some line the pavements outside the Bank of England. Police are now attempting to move these people on.

Marina Pepper
- e-mail: marinapepper@gmail.com

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Heartless

02.04.2009 14:58

So it is not enough that a person dies, but then the police harrass the people there who have gone to show their respect. I also complained to the BBC earlier for regugitating the police line that "Police said the man, thought to be in his 40s, died on Wednesday evening after bottles were thrown at him and he collapsed." Until we have the full details we cannot know what happened, and we cannot have them unless we have a independent enquiry.

Protesters it seems are second class citizens to the police and the BBC

Andrew

don't be ridiculous

02.04.2009 15:11

It's not just protestors. What about De Menzies? He just had to 'look' 'Arab'. I think everyone is a 2nd class citizen, with the police, businessmen, hunters, cops, and politicians being the 1st class.

I think a really heartless thing though, is to withold information about the man's identity. Even the police in Genoa didn't do this, to my memory, when they shot a man there at the G8 protests.

Krop