Police have warned of violence at an Anonymous-organised anti-capitalist march in central London tomorrow night.
Organisers of the Million Mask March have told attenders that “the police are not your friends” as Scotland Yard imposes rigorous restrictions on the protest.
Clad in Guy Fawkes masks, thousands of supporters of Anonymous, the anarchic hacking collective, are expected to attend the march.
The London protest is one of many similar marches held worldwide on November 5. Its agenda is broadly anti-capitalism and pro-civil liberty.
Last year, 10 people were arrested after vandalism of public buildings and violence towards police officers.
Scotland Yard says the march must not continue after 9pm and must be limited to a section of the West End including Trafalgar Square, where the event will start, and Westminster.
Chief Superintendent Pippa Mills, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We will always facilitate peaceful protest and have a strong history of doing so. However, over the last few this event has seen high levels of anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder.
“This year we have strong reason to believe that peaceful protest is the last thing on the minds of many of the people who will come along.”
The Metropolitan Police has briefed businesses along the route of the protest.
Ms Mills added: “It is unacceptable that a small minority should believe they have the right to break the law, harass people, damage buildings and attack police officers.
“My message to those people planning on attending on Thursday night is if you want to take part in peaceful protest that is your right and we want to work with you. If you want to break the law then we will police you. Where offences are committed we will investigate them and make arrests.”
The restrictions have been imposed through the Public Order Act 1986. Police have reiterated that they are able to remove masks where they think there will be criminal offences.
A Facebook page for the event, run by Million Mask March London, said: “The police are not your friends, this goes for police liaison officers too, they’re simply a ’friendly face’ who collect intelligence.”
More than 20,000 people have said on Facebook that they will attend the march, which is described by its website as the “World’s Largest Protest by the Most Influential Group in the World”.
The Facebook event’s blurb decries “the abuses and malpractice of this Government, and governments before it”, citing the “encroaching destruction of many civil liberties we hold dear”, “profit and greed of the few put before the well-being of the many”, and “the Government’s disregard for migrants, for the poor, the elderly and the disabled”.
It goes on: “The Government and the 1% have played their hand, now it is time to play ours.”
The march takes place on November 5 in honour of Guy Fawkes and his attempt to blow up Parliament. A website appearing to be authored by Anonymous claims there will be marches in 664 cities worldwide tomorrow.
Anonymous has in recent years attacked an eclectic array of groups, from the CIA to online paedophile rings.
Other targets of Anonymous and its affiliates have included opponents of internet piracy, payment services including PayPal and Visa, the Church of Scientology and the BNP.
The group claims to have obtained a list of Ku Klux Klan members and says it will release them tomorrow.
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