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Yard faces new climate demo
23.04.09
Climate activists are to hold a demonstration in London this year in a move which will put Met policing under fresh scrutiny.
The Climate Camp is to be held from 26 August to 2 September.
It is being run by the same group which held a camp in Bishopsgate during the G20 protests, as well as one at Heathrow two years ago and Kingsnorth power station last year.
The group says it will be peaceful, claiming that large numbers of arrests at previous events were due to heavy-handed policing.
It is certain to increase scrutiny of Scotland Yard. One Met officer has been questioned over the death of newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests while a sergeant is being investigated for allegedly assaulting a woman demonstrator.
Climate Camp spokesman Peter McDonnell said: “Hopefully we will get more than 3,000 people.”
Organisers were “very concerned” over policing of the protest, he said, adding: “We hope the police will act in a more controlled way that does not recklessly endanger lives like it did at G20.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The Met has a vast amount of experience at policing protests and we expect our officers to police this event in a professional manner.”
