London - Angry protestors shouting "shame on you" and "storm the banks" clashed with police outside the Bank of England during anti-globalization demonstrations in London Wednesday. Some 4,000 demonstrators converged on the central bank in the City of London, where windows of banks and offices were smashed.
Police said 11 people had been arrested by lunchtime and riot police had been deployed.
At one point, several hundred demonstrators attempted to break through barriers to reach the heavily-guarded and boarded-up central bank building.
Windows at the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has been a key target for critics during the banking crisis, were smashed as violence escalated.
Police had earlier clashed with a small group of masked demonstrators, representing a diverse mix of anti-war campaigners, anti-poverty groups, anarchists and climate change protestors.
Thousands of officers shepherded protesters carrying banners proclaiming "Balls to the Banks" and "Punish the looters" while carrying effigies of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Bankers leaning out of office windows taunted demonstrators down below by waving 10-pound notes at them, provoking a response of shouts and cheers.
Many bankers and office workers heeded security advice to "dress down" in sweaters and jeans, rather than the more customary suits and ties, to avoid being targeted.
"I am here to make sure that peace happens rather than war," said Mirthful Merryweather, a nurse among the protestors.
Christine Hickey, 64, said: "I'm just fed up with the bankers who have got away with taking all this money. People are losing jobs and their homes, and I'm fed up with it."
