LONDON, Sept 18 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI faced today the first major protests of his visit to Britain as police kept six street cleaners in custody for questioning over a suspected “terrorist” plot linked to his trip.
The 83-year-old pontiff was set to lead a huge open-air prayer vigil in London's Hyde Park and meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron as he pushed ahead with his busy itinerary despite Friday's security alert.
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| Pope Benedict XVI and Britain's Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (L) celebrate evening prayer at Westminster Abbey in London on Friday. Reuters |
But a coalition including victims of abuse by Catholic priests, atheists, pro-abortionists, demonstrators calling for women priests and protesters angry at the cost of the visit are set to rally ahead of the vigil.
Organisers said they expected around 2,000 people to turn up at the “Protest the Pope” event, gathering nearby Hyde Park and then marching through central London for a rally outside Downing Street.
It will be the first serious rally against the head of the Roman Catholic church on the four-day trip -- the first ever papal state visit to Britain by royal invitation -- with only minor protests having taken place so far. Security will remain tight for Benedict on Saturday, with police closing key roads in the capital along the route his popemobile will take, although police said the arrests had not changed their existing plans for the visit.
The Vatican insisted the pope was “calm” after the arrests. Counter-terrorism police in London swooped at dawn on Friday to detain five men, aged between 26 and 50, “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”, Scotland Yard said.
A sixth man was held later Friday. Reports said the suspects were North African and that they were detained on a tip-off, but that the arrests were initially precautionary because they had little information to go on. |
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