Closed captioning of: Massive protest turns violent in London
>>>
there was another major protest today overseas. this one not in the
middle east
but in
london
where demonstrators took to the streets to complain about massive
government budget
cuts. intended to be a peaceful protest and it turned violent. nbc's rehema ellis was there.
>> reporter:
these images are exactly what organizers of today's protest wanted to avoid. police say a fringe group of 500 protestors, some wearing masks, threw flares and paint bombs, smashing windows, breaking into high-end businesses, and violently clashing with some of the 4,500 officers on guard.
>>
this is just unacceptable be hair. it's not protest it's criminality.
>> reporter:
today was supposed to be pausful and estimated 250 f turned out for what organizers built as a family style rally. rallies like this one tap into a growing discontent. many here in
london
's
hyde park
say they're frustrated and want to be heard. like many in america, people in great britain are struggling with high unemployment and a rising deficit. this week, parliament called for the toughest cuts in public spending since
world war ii
. so today, all ages turned out saying it's time the wealthy shared more of the burden.
>>
the government is basically slapped us in the face, kick us in the teeth.
>> reporter:
tonight as unrest continued there was no telling if anything that happened today will lead to change. rehema ellis, nbc news,
london
.
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