Police disperse student protesters with impromptu Billy Bragg gig

The Police successfully avoided a repeat of the violence that marred last year’s student marches by deploying a middle-aged socialist with a guitar to help disperse protesters at yesterday’s demonstration in London.

David Cameron said on Tuesday that he would not criticise the police if they felt it was an operational necessity to use Billy Bragg on the student demonstrators.

Police utilised the singer songwriter and left-wing activist after concerns were raised of possible clashes between students hellbent on education and officers hellbent on hitting people with big sticks.

Police had hoped that by positioning Mr Bragg by St Paul’s that they might also be able to shift some of the Occupy London protesters.

Billy Bragg deployed

The organisers of yesterday’s protest, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, condemned the use of lefty folk music to dispel protesters, with campaign leader Michael Chessum describing it as a “totally unprovoked attack on young people’s ears”.

“This was a shocking example of the underhand tactics used by police to try and stop people exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest,” he fumed.

The police have defended their actions and insisted that the decision to deploy Mr Bragg was not taken lightly.

“Using Billy Bragg was intended as a last resort,” admitted a Metropolitan Police spokesperson.

“However, we felt that the decision to use Bragg was justified in this case as it helped us to avoid having to reform The Style Council.”

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