It was at about 1:35pm that the tone of the day changed for the worse. In Charlotte Square, the cry went up from a squad of English police officers: "Batons up. Prepare to charge." The police then broke into a short jog before shouting in unison: "CHARGE!"
....A 24-year-old who was caught up in the confusion said: "I've been here since one o'clock and it's been absolutely terrifying. I think the police have been very heavy-handed by instigating most of it, because they're moving into the crowds, charging, hitting people on the heads with batons and their plastic shields. This has caused mayhem and caused the crowds to disrupt into angry scenes. I saw a police van drive into two protesters which knocked them to the ground. "Protesters were ripping benches off the ground and throwing them and using them as barricades against the police charges. I've been forced to hide in a shop doorway behind wooden boarding in to escape the chaos."
Things progressed from there:
Later, at about 6:20pm, more than 200 protesters clashed with police in Rose Street. Police in riot gear were hit by a hail of missiles, including bread pallets, while some protesters pulled trolleys from a nearby lane and pushed them towards officers.
Several hundred onlookers gathered at the junction with South St David Street while chants of "scum, scum, scum" were hurled at the police. Later, some of the crowd began hurling stones and cobbles at the advancing police line. Many of the crowd appeared to have been drinking and a large number were locals.
The main security focus will now switch to Gleneagles where the G-8 summit is taking place.
Protesters will be allowed to march near the Gleneagles Hotel, the venue for the summit, which has been ringed by an 8km security fence.
The Rebel Clown Army has been attempting to defuse things, but people and police don't know what to make of them:
Earlier in the day, and on a lighter note, the Rebel Clown Army had been detained while putting on their make-up and red noses. Police found an artillery of weapons including a feather duster, water pistols and soapy bubbles. About 30 of the clowns - who wore an unusual combination of army combats, neon pink wigs, colanders on their heads and other fluffy accessories - were surrounded by police in Teviot Place. Some clowns ran away giggling but others were forced to wait while they were searched by police.
All the clowns insisted on speaking in high-pitched voices, dancing around and making jokes, and claimed they even raised a few smiles among the police who detained them. All were released without charge and although they were late for an appointment at a peaceful protest, it did not dampen their spirits since the Clown Army had a fairly relaxed attitude to punctuality.
Sir Ender-you-must-be-joking, a rebel clown with military jacket and squashy red nose, said about 100 police were used to surround them. He said the Clown Army was there to make fun, not to cause trouble, and would even try to defuse the situation if it did turn nasty.
He said: "The police and security guards do not know whether to watch the entertainment or arrest us. The confusing thing is we don't know what we're doing, so they don't know. It's a very fluid operation."
Stay tuned....
