Bankers urged to disguise themselves for protests

Friday, 27 March 2009 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Bankers have been urged to disguise themselves throughout next week to avoid attack from G20 protestors.

Thousands of staff are being told to either work from home or stay out of the City, while others are being instructed to go to work in relaxed clothing and leave their suits at home.

Roving groups of anarchists will be moving around east London over the next week as the build-up to the G20 summit takes place.

The largest protest since the anti-Iraq demonstration in 2003 is expected tomorrow, but it is being billed as a family-friendly event.

Wednesday is the main day for demonstrators, who will be targeting banks and the American embassy. A march will then go to the Excel centre in east London on Thursday, as world leaders arrive to discuss solutions to the world downturn.

Police have brought in an extra 2,500 riot units in an operation expected to cost £10 million.

"We are going to be hanging a lot of people like Fred the Shred from lamp posts on April Fool's Day and I can only say let's hope they are just effigies," said Chris Knight, professor of anthropology at the University of East London and one of the protest organisers.

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