After a full day of determined activity, protest and action around central London hundreds of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square from around 5pm. For the first few hours the square turned into a huge party with people mainly dancing to several mobile sound systems, a samba band as well as enjoying live performances over an open mic. But later in the evening, at around 8pm, huge numbers of riot police moved into the square charging into the crowd. At first protestors responded the attack by trying to defend the space, but finally the hundreds of riot cops moving in managed to re-take the square and to kettle around 200 people that got stuck between the thick police lines forming quickly all over the place.

When we arrived in the area we found a square truly resembling the worst images of what a police state may look like. The lines of riot police were everywhere and new ones were being formed all the time, thus preventing anyone to approach the centre of the square and making any contact impossible with those trapped inside the kettle.

The violent police operation didn't manage to stop crowds of people from gathering outside the police cordons, and from stopping traffic mainly in the south side of the square in the junction with the Strand. Police repeatedly charged these groups of protestors but people keept coming back towards the square. Eventually police moved extra riot police lines pushing people away from the area and cutting all access to the square. We left just a few minutes before lines of riot police lines pushed people away from the south side of the Strand around Charing Cross station and closing all posiible exits from the area. The kettle inside the square lasted for a few extra hours, with the last protestors not left out until after 2am, many of which were arrested.

Here there are some pics. Even though the image quality is far from ideal due to the poor light conditions, at least they may help to visualise what the Trafalgar Square area looked like at the end of a determined day of protest and resistance to the Government imposed 'austerity measures'.

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