On 28 March, the first in a series of protests to be held over several days will commence in central London. Prompted by London’s hosting of the G20 summit, each protest has a different slant, from calling for action on climate change to opposing poverty, globalisation and the war in Iraq.
Both police and the media have issued extensive alerts, predicting that some activists are planning to protest in an ‘unprecedented’ way as part of a ‘summer of rage’. As a result the police are planning security operations that are estimated to cost £10 million.
Fears of violence have spiralled after the recent attack on the property of Sir Fred Goodwin, former chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland, by anti-capitalist group Bank Bosses Are Criminals. In addition Chris Knight, the key leader of the G20 Meltdown protest, was suspended from his university lecturer post last night after a series of interviews, in which it is claimed he incited criminal activity. In addition there are still strong memories of the 1999 riots in which 46 people were injured and there was damage up to the cost of £2 million.
The majority of newspaper and radio reports have failed to distinguish between the different protests planned. As a result many would-be protestors have voiced their reluctance to attend the Put People First demonstration tomorrow, despite repeated assurances from spokes people that violence is not on the agenda.
Such reporting has frustrated protest groups such as Climate Camp, which recently lodged an official complaint with the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) against the Evening Standard. They claim that an article with the headline ‘Anarchists plan city riots for G20 leaders’ arrival in London’ was based on no substantiated evidence. This month the PCC actually upheld a similar complaint made by Climate Camp against the same publication, asserting that a feature entitled ‘Militants will hit Heathrow’ was fabricated and a ‘serious breach’ of reporting standards.
While the media has certainly played a role in determining public perceptions of the upcoming demonstrations, the protestors themselves are relying on their own actions to influence and promote social change.
