Anarchist protests erupted on Monday in Scotland's capital, sparking scuffles between riot police and demonstrators two days before leaders of the world's richest nations hold a summit nearby. Several people were detained, at least two police were injured in clashes and several people fainted in the crush.
The demonstrations began peacefully as protesters, banging drums and shaking bells, marched and danced into waiting police containment cordons in Edinburgh's financial centre.
The demonstrations were part of an array of protests that began on Saturday with a 200,000-strong march through the city calling for an end to poverty in the developing world, especially Africa.
Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations meet amid tight security from Wednesday to Friday at the nearby Gleneagles Hotel, tasked with tackling African poverty and devising a strategy against global warming.
On Monday, black-clad and masked members of the Black Bloc, an anarchist group based in Germany and Scandinavia that has been prominent in protests at past G8 summits, mingled with other demonstrators dressed as fairies and clowns.
Trouble began when about 30 anarchists, among about 200 protesters trapped between lines of police, pushed and scuffled with police officers. Mindful of the violence that erupted at previous G8 summits in Genoa, Italy, in 2001 and Evian, France, in 2003, Scottish police have been taking no chances.
In one incident, 14 mounted riot police and 15 vanloads of others arrived to protect the Standard Life insurance company building to find just three demonstrators there.