Images copyright (C) 2008, Peter Marshall. All rights reserved.
Free Tibet demonstrators in Bloomsbury
Rows deep so as to minimise their impact
Police guide a demonstrator to the pen
Defiant gestures in front of the pen
On the street
The torch remained hidden
Police hold demonstrators to stop them continuing to Chinatown
Around a thousand demonstrators for human rights in Tibet in Bloomsbury were mainly penned behind barriers in Bedford Place, well back from the road, while a similar number of Chinese with pro-Olympic banners and flags were allowed to remain behind banners along the route. This seemed to me to be a very questionable difference in treatment by the police.
When the motorcade had passed, the police attempted to detain the Tibet supporters, while allowing others to disperse freely. The crowd pushed through a double line of police close to the Montague Street junction but were held for some minutes further down the road before eventually being allowed to disperse down Coptic Street. Presumably this was a delaying tactic to stop them catching up with the Chinese ambassador in Chinatown.
More pictures shortly on 'My London DIary' at:
http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/04/apr.htm
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