Two men, said by media to be student protesters, have been arrested in Britain trying to get into Buckingham Palace, police said today.
The men, aged 20 and 26, were detained yesterday morning after they attempted to walk past officers at a check-in post at the palace but were stopped and searched, a police source told reporters.
One was believed to be carrying a bed sheet with political slogans written on it, the source added. Sky News said the men were thought to be students, protesting against the government's planned rise in university tuition fees.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests and said the men had been held on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site in contravention of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act. The men are still in custody.
Demonstrations by students against the fees rise at the end of last year turned violent, with one leading to the most serious riots in London for years.
During these, protesters attacked a limousine carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.
One of the windows was cracked, white paint was thrown over the car, and ministers said Camilla "came into contact" with protesters, with media reporting she had been poked with a stick.
In 2004, a protester for divorced fathers' visitation rights, dressed in a Batman suit, climbed a balcony at the palace and unfurled a banner.
Detectives investigating last year's trouble also released pictures and video footage of suspects wanted in connection with the violence.
One clip appears to show a man wielding a petrol bomb near parliament before disappearing into the crowd.
"What we have released today is the unlawful side of protest. An individual brandishes what appears to be a petrol bomb, putting others in clear danger," said detective chief superintendent Matthew Horne.
"Another young man is seen committing acts of suspected violent disorder in Parliament Square, attempting to cause damage to shops and attacking the Royal Convoy."
On Tuesday, student Edward Woollard (18) was jailed for 32 months for throwing a fire extinguisher from the roof of the tower block that houses the Conservative Party's head office during the first of last year's protests.
Reuters