50,000 London students riot against Conservatives

Aug. 9, 2011 Update: Why London exploded last night (Plus videos)

Protesters smash windows and get onto roof of Tory HQ as estimated 50,000 attend London rally

By Paul Lewis, Jeevan Vasagar, Rachel Williams and Matthew Taylor
Guardian UK

Protesters smashed windows and waved anarchist flags from the roof of the building housing the Conservative party headquarters as the fringe of a vast rally against university funding cuts turned violent.

The scale of the London protest defied expectations, with an estimated 50,000 turning out to vent their anger at government plans to raise tuition fees while cutting the state grant for university teaching.