At the moment, Newington in Edinburgh appears to be in lockdown with most of the pubs closed after police contact. Rumour has it the march is heading up here and I have witnessed more police vans being deployed. The Cowgate has already been shut off.

"potentially" armed? get a grip - do you mean you saw policemen were watching from high level vantage points or are you really suggesting rooftop snipers?

The external police shipped in from forces all over the UK were more heavy handed than those who will be left behind to police the Capital & surrounding areas after the G8 is over. In Canning Street the initial good natured banter was replaced by the riot shields of the Met. & West Midlands police forces. The Met seemed intent on having a go at protesters after a little pushing & shoving the fists of certain Met officers were flying & batons being wielded in a disproportionate response to what were a small number of demonstrators. The police outnumbered the peaceful good natured protesters and held them unlawfully for a very long time. One journalist I spoke to plans taking legal action through his union the N.U.J. We were all videoed and details taken in what was a sledge hammer to crack a walnut approach. They should be ashamed of the way they dealt with this situation.

> The police outnumbered the peaceful good natured protesters Well, yeah... isn't that a fairly obvious tactic nowadays? What, are they supposed to pull people away so that any running battles that might occur are more "fair"?

protesters arn't ganna smash pubs, they are just doing themselves outta business, prolly heaps of business

"The police outnumbered the peaceful good natured protesters" I think that the point is the police are in control and yet they still use excess violence. Also rooftop sinpers are certain, police will be using all the tactics and resources they have at hand, lets not forget the murder of a protester at the last G8.

Note that I live in Edinburgh, have no special liking for the police and believe in freedom of speech. This is my personal account of the Rose st riot Monday 4 July 2005 I was on the corner of Princes' st and St David street about 6pm. The stand off between police and demonstrators was pretty uneventful when my brother and I heard a local ned saying that he was off to see the fighting in Rose street. We follow suit and walked into Rose street just at the Abbotsford pub and Marks & Spencer. We managed to climb up onto a window ledge and had a great view of the proceedings. At 100 yards down Rose st was about 45 riot dressed police split into 3 rows. Behind the this was a row of about 10 mounted riot police. Behind them was clear all the was back to the next block. In front of the plastic shield of the police was about 400 people stretching back to the entrance to Rose st. The public was made of observers 70% press 10%, mask wearing anarchist 3% and 17% local neds. The anarchists identified themselves to me by way of whipping up an atmosphere. Individuals shouting slogans such as "I see welfare-you see warfare" and "We own the streets" which in return got the crowd whipped up into an excited state. Although there was no actual physical contact the mood was definitely charged and something was expected to kick off soon. The foot police started to bang their shields creating noise and suddenly charged the crowd for about 10 feet followed up by the mounted. They then stopped. The crowd surged back and realising that the charge was only a tiny advancement recovered to their original actions of shouting and baiting the police. The mood became more excited, glass and plastic bottles were thrown. I did not see more that two or three in the air at any one time and their launches were uncoordinated and sporadic. After another 5 minutes passed the police charged again and took another 10 feet with the horses following up as before. By this time a lot more spectators had arrived and were standing across St David's street watching the scene. At this point I still hadn't seen any injuries and no police brutality. A young guy appear from the north lane on Rose st from behind the Abbotsford pub with a steel supermarket trolley used for transporting milk in the back of lorries. It was full of empty plastic crates. A huge cheer went up and next more trolleys appear, about 5 in total. The plastic crate were snatched up and thrown at the police line with corresponding cheers from the crowd. It seemed a bit surreal and I realised this was a point of no return. This was definitely getting violent and had nothing to do with G8, poverty or capitalism it just seemed like an excuse for trouble. The trolleys were wheeled into the police front line as a barricade. Another charge took place and the police took about the next 20 feet of Rose st. The demonstrators again surged back and then forward again. My brother and I move position onto the phone boxes on the east side or St David's st. Again another perfect view point. The demonstrators continued to goad the police but without effect. The area of Rose street left between the Abottsford pub and the T junction at St David's street, where we were, is only about 50 feet. Most spectators were on St David's st and only the active demonstrators and press remained in Rose st. Everyone was waiting about for something to escalate and it did. Someone from just in front of the police line, dug up a brick from the herring bone bricked pavement, and through it at the police who deflected it with their shield. A huge cry and cheer went up. Then another brick and another came raining down on the police front three rows and also onto the mounted police behind. However, the police just stood and took it. The crowd jostled for position as this was ultimately what they had wanted to see. What looked like an anarchist (sallow skinned, scruffy, dressed in black) walked up to the Police line facing them and stood there, arms held out to the side as if crucified. Then a brick was thrown, missing its target and hit the demonstrator on the shoulder. Everything was dangerous and appeared out of control aswell as riveting and exciting. The police took this for about 5 minutes and then charged the crowd who instantly recoiled. The police recovered the rest of Rose st and pushed everyone onto St David's st. So far I still hadn't seen any police contact. No beatings, punches, snatch squad, tear gas anything. All the police had done was progressively take Rose street and push the demonstrators back by way of mini charges. I became conscious of my escape routes and notice that the police line I saw on Princes' street had moved up in parrell to the police line on Rose st, therefore effectively closing off heading south. I noticed a protester had got hold of a police riot shield and was holding it aloft to great cheers and laughter from the crowd. It got passed about as a trophy but no one really wanted it as it was the sure way to get lifted on your way home after a riot. The stones, bottles and bricks continued but to a much lesser extent, running out of ammo probably. Again no one appeared hurt on either side. Then the police line across Princes' st wheeled round to close off the south side of St David's street, this was my time to shift. We jumped from our telephone box and briskly walked up to St Andrews sq. and crossed to the railings at the park. At this point the police on Rose st charged round towards St Andrews sq. with the crowd running ahead. Some reached us and jumped into the park but most turned right at the sq. and headed towards Tile's pub on the corner of St Andrews sq. and St Andrews st. Just then 2 helicopters appeared overhead and screaming sirens heralded the riot police reserves who appeared from Queen st, about 10 transit vans full of riot police and a detachment of about twenty charging mounted. They turned right onto St Andrews sq and then left onto the south side of the sq. I crossed onto St David's st with the intention of heading down Queen st. A group of riot police emptied out of the vans and sealed off the southwest corner of the sq. and the remainder swept round the sq. towards the bus station and consequently round the north west corner. The mounted turned left from Queen st and sealed off the north est corner of the sq. I was standing on the north east corner of Queen st. I saw people running around inside the park with nowhere to go and the riot police surrounding it so as to pen them in. The transit vans were empty with doors open, sirens whailing and blockading the road. I estimate 150 police were now in the square cordoning off the side streets and penning in groups of spectators, neds, press, shoppers, folk waiting at bus stops and anarchists wherever the got caught up in the police lines. I then walked down queen street and left the scene. It appears in retrospect that the police on Rose st were waiting on the reserves to get in position and hence the level of abuse they tolerated. For the 40 minutes I was watching it at first hand from two excellent view points I didn't see any police harassment or brutality or retaliation other than the mini charges on Rose st. I didn't see anyone injured on either side and didn't see any heavy handiness on the police other than the intimidating sight of full riot gear with shields and mounted horsemen. To me it seemed that the small group of anarchists whipped up of the local ned element of the group and then excitement/adrenaline took over. When the violence started it was unnecessary as no one was penned in and no one was being arrested. No window were being smashed and no shops were looted.

re: canning st protestors were let out one by one IF they allowed themselves to be photographed and have their name, date of birth and home address. Those who refused were apparantly lifted. the canning st protest contained around 200 people of varying nationalities and one band (pink and silver, I believe) who kept our spirits up. Also detained were members of the capitalist press, obviously not saying who they slave for, and several of the legal observers who once we got out were interested in the abuse of section 60. after my release myself and two comrades travelled to haymarket and then back along to princes street in the hunt for scran, and were able to rejoin the protests on princes st after eating, although it appears we missed the fun. What with all the riot polis and NCIS (the guys in the blue overthingys) we decided to retreat to the convergence space and only left on occasional forays to see whats happening and if anybody needed help. solidarity forever

"What looked like an anarchist (sallow skinned, scruffy, dressed in black)" That's what an anarchist looks like is it? Try educating yourself before writing shite.

what a sad and irrelevant lot those "protesters" are. it is clear that they are only interested in navelgazing. no difference really to the motives of the liberal poverty tourists marching on saturday. george bush must be having sleepless nights because of all this "activity".

I did see them kicking a handcuffed man who was on the ground, and beating into a crowd that was a mix of "anarchists", other politically motivated people,shoppers, tourists, bystanders, peaceful protestors and C.I.R.C.A clowns who shouted we don't mean any harm and put their hands up Well about 5 minutes before I went on rose street, I was walking through an alley way to get there, and I saw a forty-something year old woman bleeding like mad, and convulsing I went over to see if I could help and he said she was having a seisure. My friend stayed in the area near her. I went and told the countless medics that there was a woman having a seisure and was unconcious. They didn't seem to care at all, and they said they would have a look, I had to go and find somebody and my friend said that no one at all came to help the woman.

taken from a forum post: Jesus. I live in Edinburgh and I decided to go on the anarchist march for the fun of it. I got there all the roads were closed off and riot pigs fucking everywhere, they were storming the public gardens to come from the other side and surround the Anarchists, I was standing waiting and watching and this old italian dude comes along and starts screaming at the riot police "This is how the nazis went in, in genoa you filthy nazi scum!" So then eventually I went up the road and it was totally blocked off by police and riot police, we alla started hurling abuse at them and they didn't do anything apart from star straight ahead into space like machines. So then I saw a bit where I could get closer to the action so I climbed over this part of the fence and went closer, saw my friend sitting there by the riot police, So I climbed bvack over and asked him what was going on, so we made some photos of the police, they looked pretty pissed. We heard from someone that the pigs had cornered them into the corner of the high street, so we went down this side street to go down and get closer to the action, so we were walking down this street and suddenly these riot pigs come out and block the way witht heir shields, and go: Attention attention you are not permitted to go through this street. So by this time an angry mob had gathered so we all started hurling abuse at the police,flipping them the finger, chucking stuff at them, somw guy threw a bottle at a pig and he just shouted: "3-2-1!!!" The riot police parted and left a big gap and suddenly from round the corner come like 5 police men on horses and they start to charge down this alley which is like 8 metres wide max. so obviously everyone shat it so we started running getting chased by pigs on horses, this lady trips and almost gets mauled by a horse. Then they stoped and re-grouped, so we stopped went back and started shouting stuff at them again and this time someone throws a full binbag at all the pigs and then we started to chant stuff like : "fuck the police!" "Kill the fucking pigs!" and then then round through a back alley comes this guy carrying a forty-something year old woman covered in blood, shouting about how the cops had beat her so badly she had a seisure. So we started shouting stuff again. We then realised that there was one pig filming everyone so we started shouting fuck you into the camera flipping them the finger and stuff. And a guy from genoa threw a beer can at them Then the fucking bastards charged, smacking everyone who they could, so we started running got some stuff (bricks,crates etc) and started to throw them and then the fucking pigs come round from the other sound and we are surrounded! so people start fighting, and eventually manage to break a gap in the police line, and we start running and my friemnd gets smacked in the back with a shield by a pig and was told to put his hood down so he told him to fuck off and managed to get away. so then we started walking away he had to go back and find someone, so I started walking home and then I saw this guy get the shit beaten out of him and they arrest him, open his bag and it was filled with molotovs. It's all over the news now (in the U.K at least) (all of the above is a fictional story, never happened anyway, there were no riots in edinburgh that I know of, I love the police anyways )

this is just a wish for you be safe and take care of each other. you are doing an amazing job and getting press here and are in many of our hearts as we go about our normal days. lots of solidarity and love from a worried action-medic in the states.

i am not against violenece, but i think that attacking police would not be right. Don't tell me police provocke incidents. I don't believe you. If you protest in peace nothing will happen. If you wanna do the war u need guns. Have u the balls to use them? If yes u have all my comprihension, if not pls make demostration and leave alone the police, they receive only orders

"...are also pending confirmation" ....means it is just a rumour until it becomes confirmed, and until a fact is confirmed it is better left unsaid, otherwise it seems like biast anti establishment propoganda and rumourmongering rather than the honest and independent reporting indymedia should be. A personal thought... "missiles launched at police who retaliated with extreme force" ... erm..am I being naive here, but what did they think the police would do? laugh it off?

"...are also pending confirmation" ....means it is just a rumour until it becomes confirmed, and until a fact is confirmed it is better left unsaid, otherwise it seems like biast anti establishment propoganda and rumourmongering rather than the honest and independent reporting indymedia should be. A personal thought... "missiles launched at police who retaliated with extreme force" ... erm..am I being naive here, but what did they think the police would do? laugh it off?

Snipers on rooftops (not that anyone ever saw one, but our Swedish friends think they might exist cos a friend of a friend once said his dog told him they did somewhere else) Police penning in people but not responding to extreme provocation (whatever next?) Protestors on the receiving end of police action just because they lobbed the odd brick (oh the cheeky scamps, eh?) I have rarely seen such a collection of poorly reasoned or vocalised attempts at argument outside of a P7 classroom. Anyone who objects is part of the global conspiracy or a complacent idiot. The press - a body notoriously happy to bring down governments - have inexplicably fiddled the evidence. Bob Geldof a worthless buffoon (well, okay, maybe his music). Smashing a few windows, doing in flower beds, sitting on a motorway is and will achieve nothing. The violent protestors have done nothing except antagonise the vast majority of the poeple in Scotland and cause grief to innocent people caught up in the whole thing. In fact, as far as I can see, its nothing less than a poorly disguised excuse for a rammy with the Police. Thank goodness I don't live in the centre of the city, however hopefully someone will try a short-lived roadblock on the bypass right in front of me soon.

An open letter; From hearing people moaning about the supposed brutality of the police, has anyone asked why they had to resort to such measures. It annoys me to hear posh boarding school kids whingeing about why they got beaten etc etc whilst obviously causing mayhem in the streets as 'a bit of fun'. If any of you cared to get out into the real world and work instead of scrounging off mummy and daddy before going back to you posh schools next week you would understand the actions of the police. Most of you anarchists/protestors scum are from wealthy families who should no better. Do you not know that violence never works? What has amazed me is the preavalence of well-spoken individuals in Edinburgh intent on causing trouble is very perculiar. Why are you rebelling agains the capitalist state that has allowed you an education most people can only dream of and your parents to earn a fourtune? Oh well, at least you can tell your kids, god help us all, that you were a 'rebel' in your youth. Babies the lot of you, I hope you get your heads smashed in - it might bang some sense into you.

Having arrived after protestors were penned in by police in Canning St, I stood with bystanders and photographers while watching how the event unfolded. After being forcefully pushed back by the police and being grapped by the neck by a Scottish cop, I waited in the crowed with others, including a journalis who had his camera smashed by cops. The police started pushing the protestors on the other side of the line, and eventually their line broke. Now the public, proterstors and journalists all became penend inh by the cops. As people pushed to get out to the east of Canning St, I was punched in the stomach by a Greater Manchester cop at 13:25 (badge number G 4863)and winded. I also saw police pushing journalist into a woman in a whealchair. The same pattern has been repetaed over the last few days: peaceful, good natured protests have descended into violence after the police have often brutaly asserted their 'authority'.

I was one of the above 'by standers' and have to say I have NEVER in my life witnessed such police brutality and aggression. I was forced backward by a police man shoving me in my neck onto a person in a wheelchair who was facing in the opposite direction to me. All I was trying to do was get out and away. My shouts of 'I can't move anywhere went unheaded by all officers involved. I have to admit though that Lothian and Borders were the most heavy handed of all forces involved. A scary event which lead to me being stopped, searched and videoed after being held captive for 5 hours.