- .Officers moved in to try to disrupt any violence at the 'Carnival Against Capitalism' being held today
- .Kick-starts week of protests ahead of meeting of the G8 nations in Northern Ireland later this month
- .Police tried to the raid the HQ of Stop G8 in Soho, whose members were squatting inside a disused police station
- .Protesters refused to move so officers were stuck outside its door and on the roof waiting to break in
- .On the surrounding streets scuffles broke out and activists were cuffed and dragged away
Scuffles have broken out between police and G8 protesters as hundreds of riot officers descended on the streets of central London today.
Anti-capitalists were dragged away in cuffs as they attended the Stop G8 'Carnival Against Capitalism', where they were encouraged to 'show their anger' ahead of the G8 conference being held near Belfast later this month.
Officers dressed in full riot gear and armed with shields and batons were also involved in a stand-off with a group of demonstrators who were squatting inside a disused police station in the heart of Soho.
More than 100 officers formed a cordon outside, trapping the gathering protesters in a tight area around Beak Street as police helicopters hovered above and reinforcements waited in vans.
Masked demonstrators steadfastly refused to leave the building in the West End, believed to be Stop G8's headquarters, which left large numbers of police camped outside and on its roof waiting to abseil in.
The protesters were kicking off a week of action before Britain hosts the meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations at a golf resort in Northern Ireland, which will include David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Incident: Police restrain a protester in Soho, central London, amid demonstrations ahead of the G8 conference in Northern Ireland next week
Anger: Police officers hold an anti-capitalist protester in the West End while a masked activist makes a signal from the roof of their squat HQ
Locked out: Police are seen on Beak Street to stop anti-G8 protesters causing trouble as they occupied a former police station
Tussle: Several protesters were cuffed and taken away as scuffles broke out in Soho this afternoon
Outside Fortnum and Mason, police blocked access, because the historic shop was targeted during protests against Government cuts in 2011.
They acted because demonstrators had threatened to target 'capitalist targets' including banks, hotels and other businesses.
Riot vans and a strong police presence were deployed where protesters with banners had occupied the building in Beak Street, Soho.
Businesses in central London were reportedly warned to take precautions after similar protests in recent years led to violent clashes with riot police.
Last month, StopG8 issued a map of 100 potential targets, including hedge funds Man Group and Paulson, private equity firm Blackstone, banks such as Citi and Barclays and embassies including those of Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Taking on the police: This activist had clung on to this chimney stack as abseiling officers prepared to try to enter the disused police station from the roof
Got him: The man tried to sprint away before at least seven officers pounced on him and pinned him to the floor as he thrashed around
Dragged off: A demonstrator screams to the crowd as he is taken to a police van after he was detained during the protest
Held down: This activist looks calms as police pinned him to the floor before probably putting him in handcuffs
Lining the street: These police officers set up a cordon on a typically narrow Soho street as they try to contain anti-G8 protests
'Carnival will go ahead despite cops at Beak St. Don't let them intimidate us! See you 12 noon Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus,' StopG8 said on Twitter.
The group, which describes itself as an openly anti-capitalist network "made up of autonomous groups and individuals", had refused to cooperate with police, meaning it was not clear how many people would attend, or where they would focus their attentions.
StopG8 has called for supporters to meet at noon at two locations in the heart of central London's main shopping district.
Fight: A police officer tries to grab hold of a flag-waving protester as other activists try to pull him free
Activity: Hundreds of officers came in riot vans and other vehicles as they tried to deal with trouble
Battles: A young woman drops to her knees as police were forced to restrain several protesters who they believed were causing trouble
Today's activity comes after reports of a day of action ahead of the two-day summit in Northern Ireland next week.
Police protection of landmark sites across Belfast has also been tightened in advance of the conference.
There were reports on Twitter of strong police presences in the Oxford Circus and Regent Street area of central London and Golden Square, close to Beak Street.
Action: Beak Street in Soho is packed with riot police, who left a protester on the railings outside a building occupied by anti-G8 activists
Action: The officers then tried to pull the man away from the building, while he hid behind the railings
Squat: A protester gestures from a window as police officers in riot gear stand on the rooftop of the building, used as a headquarters by a group protesting against the upcoming G8 summit
Removed: A man, a woman and a young boy carrying a stuffed toy elephant are escorted from the building by riot police
Defence: Officers with shields face the Beak Street building as part of a large group of police ready to deal with trouble
Pensive: A police officer dressed in full riot gear stands considering the situation, surrounded by his colleagues
One designer, Jamie Rees, tweeting under@jamie-rees, reported: 'Locked into work. Literally. G8 protestors outside targeting Golden Square.'
Another Ed McClaran, @edmcclaran, tweeted: 'Big G8 protest outside outside our offices today. People chaining themselves to railings. Why they are in the West End and not the City, I don’t know.'
The leaders of the world’s eight wealthiest countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, are due to meet at the luxury Lough Erne resort in Co Fermanagh for the two-day conference next week.
Protection: There were hundreds of officers in the area but there were no scuffles seen on the streets of London this morning
Scene: With banners hanging off the building and people behind the railings, police surround the HQ
Street view: A picture taken likely to be taken on a mobile phone shows the scene on this narrow Soho street
Inside and outside: Protesters were firmly entrenched in the former Beak Street police station while riot police were on the roof and outside
Crowd: A huge group of police prepare for this morning's raid - filling up the narrow West End street
US President Barack Obama is to visit parts of Belfast ahead of the summit.
Westminster City Council cabinet member for city management Ed Argar said: “Our warden teams will be working with police to manage the streets and we also have clean-up crews on standby.
'Everyone respects the right to legitimate protest and I hope this will be a day without incident.
'However, business people, shop staff and visitors have the right to go about the West End without intimidation or interference and we will do our best to ensure the centre of London runs smoothly.'
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