London City workers taunt G20 protestors
City of London workers waved £10 notes at G20 protesters today as thousands descended on London’s financial heartland.
Bankers leaning out of office windows taunted demonstrators on the streets below, who responded with jeers and shouts.
Environmentalists, anarchists, anti-war protesters and workers hit by the financial crisis congregated on the Bank of England to demand action from world leaders.
There were minor scuffles in sections of the crowd as a small group of masked protesters confronted police, but the protests were largely peaceful.
Thousands of officers shepherded protesters carrying banners proclaiming “Balls to the Banks” and “Punish the looters” and carrying effigies of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Businesses surrounding the Bank were boarded up and dozens of officers guarded each entrance as the protesters congregated outside.
Former financial worker Caroline Carter, 49, from Chertsey in Surrey, wore a T-shirt with a picture of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and the word “traitor”.
She said: “Believe you me, this is going to get a lot worse by the end of this year.
“I suggest the bankers give up some of their pensions and give something back to the community.”
Christine Hickey, 64, from Sutton, Surrey, said: “I’m just fed-up with the bankers who’ve got away with taking all this money.
“People are losing jobs and their homes and I’m fed-up with it.
“I’m not here with anyone today but wanted to come along to show my support. It all seems good-natured.”
The Metropolitan Police said no arrests had been reported by midday.
Standing near Cannon Street railway station, musician and political activist Billy Bragg said people just want to make a difference.
He said: “It’s better than sitting down shouting at the television at these bankers. We cannot go back to the way things were before to the million-dollar bonus culture.
“Bankers’ bonuses should be taxed at 90% like in America. We feel frustration and we hope to send a message today that we are very angry.
“We need them to know that people are not going to sit back and let this continue happening to us.”
Bragg said he would be singing a song at a protest meeting later today titled The World Turned Upside Down.
