Riot police clash with G8 protesters in London

The police operation to tackle anti-G8 protests started at an address in Soho on Tuesday morning, where more than 100 officers gathered on Beak Street outside a reported squat occupied by anti-G8 protestors.

Police were said to have formed a cordon around the building – which is near London’s Regent Street. The Metropolitan police said the people within the Beak Street building were free to leave, but would be subject to searches if they did.

Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered at Oxford Circus in the heart of London’s shopping district, and then moved down Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus.

Local residents and office staff reported on Twitter that there was a strong police presence in and around Oxford Street and Regent Street.

Several arrests/stop&searches at GreenPark tube twitter.com/paraicobrien/sâ?¦

— Paraic O’Brien (@paraicobrien) June 11, 2013

One, designer Jamie Rees, reported: “Locked into work. Literally. G8 protesters outside targeting Golden Square.”

Another, Ed McClaran, tweeted: “Big G8 protest outside our offices today. People chaining themselves to railings. Why they are in the West End and not the City, I don’t know.”

Police chasing protestors around Westend twitter.com/paraicobrien/sâ?¦

— Paraic O’Brien (@paraicobrien) June 11, 2013

The Metropolitan police Twitter feed said that a group of protesters had gathered at Oxford Circus, and then moved along Regent Street. Pictures online showed masked protestors scuffling with officers.

The move comes ahead of a planned “Carnival against Capitalism”, organised by anti-G8 group StopG8. Next week G8 world leaders will gather for a two-day summit in Northern Ireland.

US president Barack Obama is to visit parts of Belfast ahead of the summit and police protection of landmark sites across Belfast has been tightened in advance.