Minister committed to cuts as city counts the cost of ugly protests

Published on Sunday 27 March 2011 16:19

UNION leaders yesterday vowed to continue campaigning against spending cuts following a major rally marred by "hooligans" at the weekend, but business secretary Vince Cable said the protests will not change government strategy.

Unofficial estimates put the numbers on Saturday's London protests at nearly half a million, but Mr Cable said the turnout would not alter the government's plans to reduce the deficit.

London is still counting the cost of the damage caused by a breakaway group of demonstrators. A group of youths, wearing scarves to hide their faces, started attacking shops and banks well away from the march, causing tens of thousands of pounds' worth of damage and clashing with some of the 4,500 police on duty.

There were 84 reported injuries during the protests, including at least 31 police, with 11 officers requiring hospital treatment, five of whom were discharged and six were awaiting treatment.

The injuries were described as "relatively minor".

The Metropolitan police said 201 arrests were made and they are reviewing CCTV and eye-witness evidence.

Omar Ibrahim, 31, of Glasgow Road, Baillieston, Glasgow, has been bailed to appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on 9 May, charged with violent disorder and assault on police outside Topshop on Oxford Street at 2pm on Saturday.

More than 10,000 Scots were thought to have joined the marchers against cuts, which was the largest protest since the Iraq war rally in 2003.

The TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said that the "March for the Alternative" exceeded expectations, with nurses, teachers, council staff, NHS workers, other public sector employees, pensioners, students and other campaign groups taking part.

He said: "It now looks like close to half a million people came to London to express their peaceful but powerful opposition to the government's deep, rapid and unfair spending cuts.

"Of course we condemn the small numbers who came looking for violence, but we will not allow their actions away from our event to detract from our campaign.

"With the Budget a damp squib, the economy faltering and the NHS reforms becoming more unpopular each and every day, marchers will have returned home determined to step up their democratic campaign against policies that neither government party put before the electorate at the last election."

But Liberal Democrat minister Mr Cable said that "difficult choices" had to be made and that the coalition government was "one of the strongest governments which this country has ever had, facing a major financial crisis".

He said making fewer cuts, or spreading them over a longer period would force the government to borrow more, which had become "very difficult".

"No government - coalition, Labour or any other - would change its fundamental economic policy simply in response to a demonstration of that kind," he said.

"Of course there's pressure on living standards, the reason for that is we are now a poorer country, the GDP fell by over 5 per cent in the financial crisis, now that was temporarily absorbed by government borrowing, that was not sustainable.It's now being felt by the public at large - it is painful and it is difficult."

The shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy condemned those involved in the violence as a "tiny minority of violent, parasitic unrepresentative hooligans", while deputy mayor Kit Malthouse called them "fascist agitators" as he defended the actions of the police.

Cleaners yesterday were scrubbing paint and graffiti off luxury shop Fortnum & Mason, while the front of the Ritz was also undergoing repairs after it was targeted.Although much of the debris had been removed by 9am yesterday, Trafalgar Square was still showing signs of what had gone on.

The words "fightback" and "Tory scum" were scrawled on one of the four bronze lions, while red paint remained on part of the 2012 Olympics countdown clock.xx