111 arrested so far with further clash in G20 protests

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-03 08:30

LONDON -- Police said Thursday that there have been 111 arrests, including 86 the previous day, so far over the two days of G20 protests, as violence broke out again at a vigil held to mark the victim during Wednesday's demonstrations.

Police in riot gear advance through fires set by demonstrators during protests outside the Bank of England timed to coincide with tomorrow's G20 summit meeting in London April 1, 2009. [Agencies] more photos

The lengthy violent demonstration on Wednesday had led to a wave of arrests in the City of London and the death of Ian Tomlinson on eve of the G20 summit.

While the focus Thursday moved to the ExCeL center, where world leaders were gathering for the summit, in London's docklands, there were reported clashes in the vigil outside the Bank of England in the financial center of London.

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Police confirmed that 111 arrests have been made so far, with most of them in the first day's action, when some protesters broke into the Royal Bank of Scotland building and vandalized the Bank of England building.

Hundreds of people took part in the vigil on Thursday in which some protesters broke through the cordon, sparking a skirmish against police.

Batons were used in the confrontation and several people were arrested, Sky News reported.

The protest organizers G20 Meltdown were demanding a public inquiry into the death of Tomlinson, who was found unconscious near the bank amid clashes between officers and protesters on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old collapsed on his way home from work. He was later taken to hospital but later died.

Meanwhile, police raided two squats in London which they believe were being used by people behind Wednesday's violence.

Twenty were detained with four arrested as police raided one of the addresses on Rampart Street, Aldgate, roughly a mile away from the scene of the protests.

Near the ExCel Center, several hundred people staged demonstrations a few hundred yards from the G20 summit venue. The situation has been well under control with heavy security.

Earlier on Thursday, dozens of protesters were outside the London Stock Exchange, threatening to disrupt business, but they were outnumbered by 100 police officers.

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