Police 'powerless' to act after G20

Published on Tuesday 21 April 2009 00:47

TAMIL protesters brought London streets to a standstill yesterday, as police appeared powerless to contain thousands of protesters after the G20 controversy.

Around 3,000 people picketed the Houses of Parliament, spilling out beyond the police cordon and blocking transport along Whitehall.

Shadow armed forces minister Gerald Howarth said it proved police had "lost control of law and order" as officers were too scared of being "caught on camera" to push back the crowd following the G20 riots.

He told MPs: "I've just spoken to a police officer. He said there's no police officer out there who will take action because he's fearful the television cameras will be on him and if he shows anything other than a 'softly softly' approach, he will find himself in court. Surely law and order has broken down outside the Houses of Parliament?"

Commons Speaker Michael Martin accused some of the demonstrators of using children as shields from police. He told MPs that he was "saddened" at the use of young children to deter police action.

"Policemen who have been under criticism for the way they have handled adults are put in the situation that they cannot make any clearance because little children have been put to the perimeter of these demonstrations," he told parliament.

The mass protest was triggered by reports that more than 1,000 civilians were killed on Sunday by the Sri Lankan government.

The Tamils have been protesting outside Westminster for three weeks, with several demonstrators holding hunger strikes.

Des Browne, the government's envoy to Sri Lanka, was at the United Nations in New York yesterday trying to seek a solution to the crisis.

The Tamils blame Britain, as a former colonial power, for denying them a homeland.