Clegg: I’ll protect party’s soul

JUST one arrest was made during a weekend of largely peaceful protests in Sheffield, as demonstrators voiced their anger towards local Hallam MP Nick Clegg and his party.

South Yorkshire Police, which had drafted in officers from eight other forces in an operation estimated to have cost up to £2m, had been expecting up to 10,000 protesters and were well prepared for any disorder.

Some officers were, however, told to stand down as only around 5,000 protesters arrived for the largest demonstration of the weekend, which began with a march to Sheffield City Hall and culminated in a largely good-natured rally.

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While most of the crowd chanted and waved placards, a smaller number rattled fences at the “ring of steel” and one man was arrested for throwing a flare towards delegates and police.

A smaller group broke off and attempted to occupy businesses in Fargate but were immediately surrounded by police and led away.

Chief Supt Simon Torr said: “On the whole, it was what we expected and what we had planned for. The number of protesters was on the low end of our estimate. However, it was better to be prepared than to be caught out.”

Police tactics included deploying “protest liaison” officers, to stand within the crowd, and also posting operation updates on Twitter.

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Protester Laura Eaton, 21, said she had voted Liberal Democrat in the elections last May and would never do so again.

She added: “It’s diabolical that the Liberal Democrats made so many promises, especially on student fees, and then broke them. People are very angry.”