A large police presence is building in Soho to counter anti-capitalist protesters ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland next week.
Over 100 officers, many in riot gear, are in the Beak Street area, where protesters have taken over a former police station. Footage from the BBC shows the police breaking in to the occupied building to apprehend those squatting inside. Protesters are also present in Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus. Six arrests have been reported across central London so far.
The authority's pre-emptive move seeks to disrupt the 'Carnival Against Capitalism' in central London, an anti-capitalist tour of the West End, which would finish with a street party in Piccadilly Circus.
The Stop G8 website has produced a map of 'capitalist London', which indicates around 100 locations that might become the focus of protest.
We'll update this article with any new developments.
