Up to 3,000 protesters gather ahead of secret climate camp

Protesters gathered today at half a dozen locations across central London before "swooping" to a still secret location, where they plan to set up camp to campaign over climate change.

At one of the muster points, a small police presence looked on as campers waited outside Rio Tinto's office building near Moorgate while waiting for instructions on where to head next.

Up to 3,000 protesters are expected to join the week-long camp in London to protest against Government policies on climate change and the current economic situation they hold responsible for the issue.

Police have urged organisers to tell them where the camp is to be held, but protesters say they do not trust the police, who they blame for intimidation at previous camps.

Protesters were gathering at a number of sites ahead of the swoop, including outside Shell's offices and Stockwell Tube station, the site of the shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes.

Around 100 activists, including children, left Waterloo station in central London on bicycles after receiving text messages, although the venue for the week-long camp was still being kept secret.

The cyclists blew whistles and rang bells while some had placards attached to their bikes.

Around 100 protesters listened to speeches and music outside Rio Tinto's offices in Aldermanbury Square while they waited for instructions of where to head next.

One camper, Richard Smith, from London, said organisers chose the capital as the site of this year's protest because it was an oil and coal city.

"All the carbon-intensive industry in the world is in part controlled from London," he said.
"Before, when we've been on previous climate camps to Drax, Heathrow and Kingsnorth, we've been targeting where the emissions are coming from.

"But the Government turns around and says 'It's OK, we can offset and trade carbon credits and we'll get a great deal at Copenhagen this year'.

"But we've done our research and it's a pack of lies."

He said it was important to come to London because that is where the decisions are being made about climate change policies.

Police methods for dealing with protests in London will be under the spotlight this week after the G20 protests in which a man collapsed and died.

Mr Smith, 23, said he did not understand why the police took such an interest in the climate camp.

He said: "The more we talk about our political and economic systems, the more the police get involved.

"Where these orders come from we don't know, but what it definitely shows, if you are going to tackle climate change, there are a lot of things that need to be done and we all need to do it together."