http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/4783576/Police-fear-summer-of-rage-with-middle-class-protests.htmlPolice are bracing themselves for a "summer of rage" as they fear that middle-class people affected by the recession may turn to violent protests.
Last Updated: 12:42AM GMT 23 Feb 2009
Senior officers are concerned that victims of the economic downturn who have lost their jobs, homes or savings, will take to the streets to riot.
Britain's most senior policeman in charge of maintaining public order said middle-class people, who would previously never have considered publicly protesting, may now resort to joining demonstrations.
Banks bailed out with public money, which continue to pay large bonuses, and the headquarters or financial institutions blamed for the financial crisis have become "viable targets", the Metropolitan police warned.
The head of the force's public order branch, Superintendent David Hartshorn, told the Guardian newspaper that since the credit crunch, activists have become more "intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder".
He said he fears that known activists will use the anger over the economic crisis to stir up unrest.
Supt Hartshorn said: "Those people would be good at motivating people, but they haven't had the foot soldiers to actually carry out protests.
"Obviously the downturn in the economy, unemployment, repossessions, changes that. Suddenly there is the opportunity for people to mass protest."
He added that intelligence gathered from activists' websites suggested that Britain is facing a "summer of rage" with April's G20 summit being billed as a potential flash point.
The warning comes following several protests in the UK, including the wildcat strikes at a Total refinery in Lincolnshire over the employment of foreign