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Fences go up as Clegg faces furious backlash from 10,000 protesters
Ring of steel around Sheffield City Hall.
FENCING around City Hall is nearing completion as police revealed they are expecting up to 10,000 demonstrators to march through Sheffield during this weekend’s Liberal Democrat Spring Conference.
In a security operation costing around £1.5 million, hundreds of police officers will be on motorcycles, bikes, on horseback as well as on foot in the city centre for the main demonstration on Saturday.
There will also be a heavy police presence on Friday when a protest is staged during the afternoon and evening.
But shops in the Barker’s Pool area say it will be business as usual at the weekend - although businesses told The Star the situation is “under review” and could change if protests turn ugly.
The only business to close will be Barclays Bank, amid fears it could become a focal point of protesters due to the large bonus payments announced this week to its bosses.
Maura Zanin, manager of Multiyork furniture shop, in Barker’s Pool, said: “We are open the same as normal - it will be business as usual.”
Larger stores such as John Lewis and Mothercare are also planning to be open.
A Barclays Bank spokeswoman said: “We have been liaising closely with the police and other organisations around arrangements for the weekend and, as a result, our operations will be moving to the Arena Square branch for one Saturday only so that our customers can avoid any disruption in the city centre.
“The Pinstone Street branch will open as normal on Friday. However, we will be liaising closely with the police and taking advice should the city centre become very busy. The safety of our customers and colleagues is paramount and we will be deploying extra security where appropriate.”
Some businesses have complained about the size of the area being fenced off, which includes almost all of Barker’s Pool apart from a narrow walkway around the edge on the John Lewis side.
One Division Street shop owner was concerned the fence would deter shoppers.
He said: “If there are thousands of demonstrators no one is going to get up Fargate and Division Street. No one has contacted us to speak to the small businesses that are trying to make a living.”
Green Party Central ward Coun Jillian Creasy said: “We were told there would be high fencing at the back facing on to West Street but Barker’s Pool would have low barriers just used as markers.
“I’m really concerned about these fences. They look hideous.”
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Comments
There are 46 comments to this article
Page 1 of 4
Jeremiah
Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 11:21 AMActually the previous government was doing OK (national debt was lower in 2007 than in 1998) until the American sub-prime market went under and brought everything else down with it. But that's not a view you'll hear very often because it's much easier to blame the government who are, of course, in control of everything at all times. Perhaps even tighter bank regulation and paying rather than avoiding tax might be a good start? Despite the media storm around the current national debt we owe less now than at any time between the period 1915-1970 and we're paying less in interest than at any time during the previous 90 years (http:www.ukpublicspending.co.ukdebt_brief.php) so in the broad sweep of things we're not doing that badly. The only things that are a problem are a media that injects no history into its reporting (and whose views are, therefore, as unbalanced as a teenager's when evaluating current policies compared to previous policies), and a government that's using the fact that we have a national debt that's higher than it was 5 years ago to push through a fairly typical Tory agenda of "Cut the public sector, trust in the private sector", which is - to say the least - a bit perverse because the current debt-crisis originated in the private sector sub-prime mortgage market.
serendipity
Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 10:42 AMPeople must have the right to protest in a democracy. I know there's going to be some disruption, but it isn't as though this sort of thing is happening every day. We need to put up with the occasional inconvenience to protect our democratic rights. I just wonder how many of the protesters have carefully thought out, workable alternatives to the cuts the government are putting through. We are £1 trillion pounds in debt, with interest payments costing us £120 million a day. Something has to be done to reverse the mess the last government got us into.
kayte
Friday, March 11, 2011 at 11:03 AMIt's not often I am in agreement with a Green Party Councillor, but I am - absolutely - in this case. The fencing in Barker's Pool is an abomination. I am particularly unhappy that it is impossible to approach the Cenotaph. My father, a WWII veteran, believed that one should always pay a brief respect for the sacrifices made when one passed the Cenotaph. I really wish that Clegg would take himself and his off somewhere else (preferably another planet) and all the expected protesters would - like lemmings - follow!
Morlockian
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 10:17 AM#14, the notion that Liberals are gay went out with the Jeremy Thorpe case megayears ago. No Waywoodwhinge, you want the Tories, specifically Bill Hague!
paganite
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 12:18 AMComment removed by moderator
Dogsknob
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 11:33 PMJust one thought for "Lifelong" and "Rodgers". Sheffield is the home of 60,000 students and, I'm afraid, your stereotype of "scruffy, smelly , lefty ,militant students" is rather dated. The universities themselves employ almost 10,000 staff. Landlords, bar and club owners, cafes and restaurants all rely heavily on the "student dollar". Without the vitality that the universities , and their students, bring, Sheffield would be a sad, decaying shell of a once great city.
waywoodwind
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 10:27 PMComment removed by moderator
vote for reality
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 10:25 PMA few years ago Scargill used Sheffield for a cause that he forced on the miners,(at the City Hall and surrounding buildings). Now we have clegg and his jeremy thorpe lookalikes occupying the same section of the city. Cameron must be desperate if he thinks the people of Sheffield want this buckingshire clown here. The only difference is that the miners were real men, cleggys bunch are a bunch of twitchers and gaylords. I am a Conservative, or was!!
horseman of the apocalypse
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 09:06 PMCorrection 33 ..... Sticks in your throat UNLIKE mine....
horseman of the apocalypse
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 09:03 PMpost 33 you are indeed a sad individual. I will be joining these protesters. Many whom I disagree with on other issues to display our anger at the outragous toad that is Clegg and his party of misfit, illlguided opportunists. You see I believe in a patriotic, English first policy on everything, I woulsdI am English. You see I do not like paying loads of tax keeping economic migrants "asylum seekers" happy I would deport no hearing, its called tough love. See Che Guevara's toughts on revolution and where you originate from fir guidance. You see I believe in FREE SPEACH, unfortunately this phrase sticks in your throat like mine as it did in Stalins!!!
Rodgers
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 08:23 PMNo I would not try talking to them nickgriffen just be a waste of time. You know the old saying, " You cannot educate pork ". But these scum do not want to talk they will not listen to any reason even if met half way,. they are led like sheep. They have no minds of their own. But many of them do not care they are going solely because it is a protest. These kind of people can be seen in front of most protests. A good percentage of them are just morons. Many do have a case and would argue their case reasonabley if they had a chance to do so. Nick Clegg had no choice in this matter other than to refuse to go into co-alition, Then we would be in a bigger mess than we are now. I have no axe to grind I have no respect for the Lib Dems because of this council of ours. But in the end we have to get this country back on its feet. This is not about the cuts. Thius is because Clegg did not give forge masters the money promised by a skint labour government, Also did not cow tow to the students. Though now the President of the Students has begun to see reason . Most students ( Not those on invented courses ) also agree that there must be changes and have accepted this. This is the Unions and Labour activists protest.
swfc
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 07:16 PMPoorRighteousTeacher, shush great tv to watch soon
Los Blancos Galactico Rossoneri Mancunian
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 07:15 PMBarclays Bank shouldn't have to close because of these stupid idiot protesters. It is going to be crowded, but you should be allowed to do your Saturday shopping without being intimidated by these idiots! Any damaged that is caused, I will blame these idiots! Get a life!
NickGriffinHasACriminalRecord
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 07:06 PMNo doubt windbag, horesman, lifelong, rodgers et al will turn up to lecture the demonstrators and tell them what they think of them, that's if windbag's not on the pull in the gay bars. I look forward to seeing how they get on. On the plus side at least the fencing will stop any of the students urinating on the war memorial.
Juneab
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 07:03 PMCoun Jillian Creasy of the Gullible Party should get off her backside and start cleaning up the Graffiti that the supporters of this event have painted on buildings in the s10 and s6 area. She should be ashamed of herself.
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