A peaceful protest. The inevitable aftermath

Up to 500,000 people marched in London yesterday against the Government's cuts. Should we allow the violence of a tiny minority to detract from Britain's biggest demonstration in eight years?

By Emily Dugan, Kevin Rawlinson, Rachel Shabi, Tom Moseley and Charlie Cooper
The Independent
Sunday, 27 March 2011

There were two demonstrations in London yesterday. The first, and most enduringly important, was that by half a million people against the cuts that are falling disproportionately on vital public services and those who provide them.

The other one was a demonstration of just how easy it is for a few hundred people to steal the occasion with sporadic acts of violence. Last night, it the latter one which was taking the headlines as police and protesters clashed in Trafalgar Square.

Earlier half a million people descended on central London for the biggest protest the nation has seen since demonstrations against the Iraq war eight years ago. They streamed into the capital from across the country to vent their anger at government cuts, their only weapons peaceful chanting and waving placards. There were 500,000 people and, with their disperate causes, represented 500,000 different reasons to take a stand.

(More here.)