An Anonymous protest in London on Tuesday evening has led to clashes with the police after thousands took to the streets, many wearing the now infamous Guy Fawkes mask, to protest at austerity cuts. Comedian Russell Brand, who appeared at a Huff Post UK event on Monday, was spotted at the protest.
A fire was started at the Victoria Memorial, close to the gates of Buckingham Palace, and protesters threw glass bottles during clashes with officers in riot gear. A video emerged late on Tuesday evening showing the protesters laying in front of a bus and goading the police (see below).
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Million Mask March
Speaking to PA, Ceylan Hassan, 24, a university graduate said: "They started shouting move back, move back, but we had nowhere to go. The police started pushing us, screaming 'move back, move back'."
He added: "There was a fire on the right hand side of the monument and people started throwing things. We've been here from the start, for about four hours."
Police in riot gear advance on protesters close to Parliament
The event is part of a MillionMaskMarch, with similar protests being held in cities around the world. A Facebook page promoting the protest called for Anonymous, WikiLeaks, the Pirate Party, and Occupy to "defend humanity".
"Remember who your enemies are: Billionaires who own banks and corporations who corrupt politicians who enslave the people in injustice," it read.
Earlier, cities in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand witnessed similar events highlighting corruption, corporate malfeasance and the expanding surveillance state, with more than 450 locations around the world planning disruptions.
Protesters close to Big Ben earlier in the evening
More from the Press Association:
Sean Roesner, 21, a self-employed computer programmer, travelled to the protest with his brother and friend from King's Lynn, Norfolk this afternoon. He said: "We turned up and the protest was at Buckingham Palace. When we arrived people were firing fireworks at the Palace."
He added: "It was funny. I didn't have any but I would have fired some if I had. I joined Anonymous because I was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act. I spent eight months on police bail last year and had done nothing wrong. We are here to stand up for what we believe in, to make the world a better place."
Roesner said his friend had been among a group of people encircled by the police on The Mall and was waiting for him to be released so they could return home.
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