Teenager: ‘Police whacked anyone’ at the tuition fees demonstration in Parliament Square

Published: 17th December, 2010
by TERRY MESSENGER

TEENAGE protesters from Islington described this week how they witnessed violence by police at the tuition fees demonstration in Parliament Square.

Georgia Music, 17, and Jessica Poyner, 16, were caught up in the rowdy scenes which left more than 70 people injured last Thursday, with one protester needing brain surgery.

Georgia, from Tufnell Park, said: “I was attacked by police with batons who seemed to be allowed to hit anyone in the face. They were just whacking anything and anyone.   

“Luckily, I had a friend there who was bigger than me and he kind of protected my head. My friend next to me was badly hurt and it was really scary.

Jessica, a member of Highgate and Holloway branch of the Woodcraft Folk, joined other members of the movement at the protest. She witnessed “Black Flag” anarchists running at police, who surged back at them. 

“There was a lot of violence on both sides,” she said. Jessica believes the police’s “kettling” tactic – holding protesters in confined spaces – helped provoke the violence. 

“Before then everyone was quite cheerful,” she said. “When they started blocking areas off, things went a bit messy.

“There were definitely violent protesters there and I saw people running around wielding sticks they got off placards.”

Head of the Metropolitan Police public order branch, Commander Bob Broadhurst, warned protesters: “By all means exercise your democratic right and protest, but this has to be peaceful otherwise you cross the line from protester to criminal, and this has the potential to affect your future opportunities in life.”