Violence at G20 protests....

Once again, these protesters show us the one thing they're capable of....

Protests in the City of London have turned violent today as thousands of demonstrators and police clashed outside the Bank of England.

Several hundred protesters tried to force their way through lines of officers, who hit back with batons.

Demonstrators had gathered in the capital for a series of marches to coincide with the start of the G20 Summit.

Around 1,200 demonstrators were penned in front of the Bank of England as riot vans blocked off surrounding streets and stopped hundreds of other protesters from entering the square.

At the junction of Threadneedle Street and Bartholomew Lane, masked and hooded men tried to breach police lines to get through to the climate camp in nearby Bishopsgate.

They were beaten back by police, who were pelted with empty beer cans, fruit and flour.

Chants of "f*** the police" and "our street" were heard as police reinforcements were drafted in.

In Threadneedle Street, a line of police holding back protesters was overwhelmed by the demonstrators, who surged forward, briefly pinning officers against the wall.

Police retaliated with a surge of their own, as helmeted officers repelled the crowd with batons.

The standoff continued 100 yards further down the street just outside a branch of the RBS bank.

Demonstrators continued to chant while officers held their batons aloft in front of three police vans blocking the road.

The protesters - which included hundreds of hardened anarchists and, bizarrely, Russell Brand - set off from four different railway stations aiming to meet at midday.

One of the demonstrators struck and injured a policemen with a large stick while one of the anarchists was seen with blood streaming from a head wound.

Another group of protesters were even pulled over driving down Bishopsgate in an armoured car. Eleven protesters were arrested after police uniforms were discovered in the vehicle

Several individuals, some wearing masks and hoods to cover their faces, were involved in minor scuffles with officers as they were shepherded onwards.