Last Updated: 9:59AM GMT 23 Feb 2009
Police bracing themselves for 'summer of rage' against economic crisis
Metropolitan Police Superintendent David Hartshorn has said police are bracing themselves for a "summer of rage" against the economic crisis.
Supt Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan Police's public order branch, said he feared there could be "mass protest" at rising unemployment, failing financial institutions and the downturn in the economy.
The officer that "known activists" were planning returns to the streets, and intelligence revealed that they may be able to call on more protesters than normal due to the unprecedented conditions.
He told The Guardian: "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the 'foot soldiers' to actually carry out (protests).
"Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest."
Mr Hartshorn, who is regularly briefed on potential causes of civil unrest, singled out April's G20 summit of the leading developed nations in London as one of the events that could kick start a series of protests.
"We've got G20 coming and I think that is being advertised on some of the sites as the highlight of what they see as a 'summer of rage'," he said.
The officer added that banks, particularly those that still pay large bonuses despite receiving billions of aid from the taxpayer, had also become "viable targets" for protesters.
Other parts of Europe have already seen large-scale protests against the handling of the economy.
Up to 120,000 people marched through Dublin on Saturday in an emotional and angry national demonstration over the Irish Government's handling of the economic crisis.
In the UK earlier this month, hundreds of oil refinery and power station workers carried out a series of wildcat strikes over the use of foreign workers.
And across the Channel in France, a million people joined demonstrations to demand greater protection for jobs.
Last Updated: 12:42AM GMT 23 Feb 2009
Senior officers are concerned that victims of the economic downturn who have lost their jobs, homes or savings, will take to the streets to riot.
Britain's most senior policeman in charge of maintaining public order said middle-class people, who would previously never have considered publicly protesting, may now resort to joining demonstrations.
Banks bailed out with public money, which continue to pay large bonuses, and the headquarters or financial institutions blamed for the financial crisis have become "viable targets", the Metropolitan police warned.
The head of the force's public order branch, Superintendent David Hartshorn, told the Guardian newspaper that since the credit crunch, activists have become more "intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder".
He said he fears that known activists will use the anger over the economic crisis to stir up unrest.
Supt Hartshorn said: "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the foot soldiers to actually carry out protests.
"Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest."
He added that intelligence gathered from activists' websites suggested that Britain is facing a "summer of rage" with April's G20 summit being billed as a potential flash point.
The warning comes following several protests in the UK, including the wildcat strikes at a Total refinery in Lincolnshire over the employment of foreign workers.
Police bracing themselves for 'summer of rage' against economic crisis
Metropolitan Police Superintendent David Hartshorn has said police are bracing themselves for a "summer of rage" against the economic crisis.
Supt Hartshorn, who heads the Metropolitan Police's public order branch, said he feared there could be "mass protest" at rising unemployment, failing financial institutions and the downturn in the economy.
The officer that "known activists" were planning returns to the streets, and intelligence revealed that they may be able to call on more protesters than normal due to the unprecedented conditions.
He told The Guardian: "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the 'foot soldiers' to actually carry out (protests).
"Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest."
Mr Hartshorn, who is regularly briefed on potential causes of civil unrest, singled out April's G20 summit of the leading developed nations in London as one of the events that could kick start a series of protests.
"We've got G20 coming and I think that is being advertised on some of the sites as the highlight of what they see as a 'summer of rage'," he said.
The officer added that banks, particularly those that still pay large bonuses despite receiving billions of aid from the taxpayer, had also become "viable targets" for protesters.
Other parts of Europe have already seen large-scale protests against the handling of the economy.
Up to 120,000 people marched through Dublin on Saturday in an emotional and angry national demonstration over the Irish Government's handling of the economic crisis.
In the UK earlier this month, hundreds of oil refinery and power station workers carried out a series of wildcat strikes over the use of foreign workers.
And across the Channel in France, a million people joined demonstrations to demand greater protection for jobs.
Last Updated: 12:42AM GMT 23 Feb 2009
Senior officers are concerned that victims of the economic downturn who have lost their jobs, homes or savings, will take to the streets to riot.
Britain's most senior policeman in charge of maintaining public order said middle-class people, who would previously never have considered publicly protesting, may now resort to joining demonstrations.
Banks bailed out with public money, which continue to pay large bonuses, and the headquarters or financial institutions blamed for the financial crisis have become "viable targets", the Metropolitan police warned.
The head of the force's public order branch, Superintendent David Hartshorn, told the Guardian newspaper that since the credit crunch, activists have become more "intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder".
He said he fears that known activists will use the anger over the economic crisis to stir up unrest.
Supt Hartshorn said: "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the foot soldiers to actually carry out protests.
"Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest."
He added that intelligence gathered from activists' websites suggested that Britain is facing a "summer of rage" with April's G20 summit being billed as a potential flash point.
The warning comes following several protests in the UK, including the wildcat strikes at a Total refinery in Lincolnshire over the employment of foreign workers.
