> April 12, 1997
>
> British Marchers Back Dock Workers
> LONDON (AP) -- Demonstrators marching in support
> of fired dock workers threw bottles, paint and an
> orange smoke bomb Saturday at police guarding the
> entrance to Downing Street, where Prime Minister
> John Major has his official residence.
>
> Dozens of police donned riot gear to protect
> themselves, and many officers were splattered with
> paint, but the demonstrators did not penetrate the
> metal gates at the street's entrance.
>
> Major was away campaigning ahead of the May 1
> general election.
>
> The protest could focus renewed attention on one
> issue of campaign: the possible revival of union
> power if the opposition Labor Party wins. Labor,
> which traditionally has been financed by trade
> unions, is leading Major's Conservative Party by
> more than 20 points in opinion polls.
>
> The Social Justice March, organized by a group
> called Reclaim The Streets, attracted an estimated
> 3,500 people.
>
> Its primary aim was to support Liverpool dockers,
> who are fighting to regain their jobs more than a
> year and a half after being fired in a dispute
> over pay and working conditions.
>
> Organizers also hoped to highlight other social
> causes such as the homeless, asylum seekers,
> pensioners, environmentalists and people with
> disabilities.
>
> There were fresh clashes later in nearby Trafalgar
> Square, where marchers hurled paving slabs and
> bottles at police.
>
> Some protesters climbed buildings to display
> banners; others daubed graffiti on statues and the
> National Gallery art museum.
>
> Two hundred police in riot gear backed by officers
> on horseback cleared about 1,000 people from the
> square, which was littered with broken glass, cans
> and smashed placards.
>
> A Scotland Yard spokesman said 16 people were
> arrested during the march, including four for
> alleged conspiracy to commit murder. He didn't
> elaborate.
>
> Five marchers and one police officer were treated
> at a hospital for minor injuries, the spokesman
> said.