London police charge to disperse G20 protesters

Demonstrators had earlier attacked a nearby branch of Royal Bank of Scotland in protest against a system they said had robbed the poor to benefit the rich. Hundreds of protesters converged on the bank, shattering three windows.

Rescued by the government in October, RBS and former boss Fred Goodwin, who controversially refused to give up a pension award of 700,000 ($1 million), became lightning rods for public anger in Britain over banker excess blamed for the crisis.

The protests were timed to coincide with a G20 meeting of the world's leading and emerging economies.

Protesters hurled paint bombs and bottles, chanting: "Our streets! Our banks!"

RBS said in a statement it was "aware of the violence" outside its branch and "had already taken the precautionary step" of closing central city of London branches.

As dusk fell, police charged against a hard core of anti-capitalist demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them before nightfall. Bottles flew through the air toward police lines and police on horseback stood by ready to intervene.

Some protesters set fire to an effigy of a banker hanging from a lamppost.

Police brought out dogs as they tried to channel the few hundred remaining protesters through the narrow streets surrounding the classical, stone-clad Bank of England.

Police said 32 protesters had been arrested by early evening and at least one officer was taken to hospital for treatment.