The British Prime Minister Mr Blair, is expected to stress his
government's ``absolute support for the police'' in dealing with theMay Day protests, when he addresses the London Press Club today.
Earlier the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, LordHarris, warned that police could resort to using rubber bullets ifriots break out during tomorrow's May Day demonstrations in London.
It that happens it will be first time British authorities will haveused rubber bullets to quell disturbances outside Northern Ireland.
Millions of pounds worth of damage has been caused and hundreds ofarrests were made in previous years as anarchists and extremistscaused trouble on a day British groups traditionally reserve fortheir largest protests of the year
Police leave has been cancelled and more than 6,000 officers from theMet, City of London and British Transport Police will be deployed.They have been briefed to take a “zero tolerance” approach to avoidlast year's chaotic scenes in Westminster in which over Stg£500,000of damage was caused.
Lord Harris said: “There is the possibility of the use of rubberbullets but that would really be in extremis.
. “(It would be) very extreme circumstances where there were far moreprotesters than police anticipated and the situation had gotcompletely out of control.
He denied suggestions that police would be armed with CS gas but saidit would be ``much more likely'' that officers would have their ownindividual sprays.
London’s Lord Mayor Mr Ken Livingstone warned that organisers of anti- capitalist demonstrations had no interest in keeping the eventpeaceful, saying they had refused to negotiate with the police.
Latest police intelligence suggests that there will be 1,000 peopleintent on causing mischief and between 6,000 and 10,000 people intotal.
Police fears that Oxford Street could be the flashpoint for violencehave been compounded by the discovery of literature urgingdemonstrators to gather there.
Special policing efforts were planned in the area after intelligencesuggested that all protest groups intended to meet during the rushhour to target shops and restaurants.
Assistant Commissioner Michael Todd, who is in charge of the Met'spolicing operation, said: “One group has recently produced 9,000 highquality leaflets urging people to go to Oxford Circus at a specifictime”.
PA