London Student Protests: LIVE

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Additional reporting by Shane Croucher.

• Metropolitan Police say there have been 20 arrests
  
• No reported casualties
• Protesters in London Wall/Moorgate area

17:00 That's the end of my involvement in the protests, you can find a large collection of my favourite images from the protests here:

Nov 9 London Student Protest In Pictures

16:51 - Broken down, the arrests are three people for section 2 and 3 of the Public Order Act, one for having an offensive weapon, three for going equipped, one for section 60AA and twelve for breach of the peace, according to a BBC journalist.

16:27 - Met: There have been a total of twenty arrests at today's demonstration.

16:23 - The Met are encouraging protesters wanting to leave the demonstration "to head north of London Wall towards Aldgate".

16:07 - The rally has started and the sizeable police presence have got control of the area, says Jamie.

People are being allowed to leave.

16:02 - Protesters are for the most part contained in the area, reports Jamie, though some people managed to break through one police line on the north side of the area.

He says that a student from Kings College is telling fellow protesters through a megaphone to "keep it peaceful or we'll all get kettled".

15:52 - More from Jamie: Police officers and riot officers are keeping protesters in the Moorgate/London Wall area. He says the atmosphere remains tense.

15:36 - Jamie Lewis, our reporter at the front of the march as it reaches London Wall, has said the mood is "edgy".

There are police dogs around, he adds, and that police are saying no-one is allowed to hang around at the end of the march.

Earlier, police said protesters had 2 hours at the end of the demonstration to clear the area.

15:33 - The protest has reached London Wall, near Moorgate station, its destination.

15:18 - The front of the march has reached St. Paul's, nearing its finish point, says the Met.

IBTimes UK reporter Jamie Lewis, who's at the front, says police are detaining people who are trying to deviate from the official route of the march.

"No ifs, no buts, no education cuts," is ringing around central London as the protesters chant.

15:10 - Police have now removed the tents pitched up in Trafalgar Square.

15:06 - Couple of fireworks have gone off in the crowd, says our reporter Jamie.

He says that 30 or 40 riot police rushed at a group of protesters, apparently trying to section them off, but were pushed back by protesters.

Tensions are building, he adds.

14:58 - Another call from Jamie. He took this picture showing protesters on scaffolding throwing objects. Says they jumped down, then were arrested by police. Nearby protesters reacted angrily and rushed forward, telling police not to detain them.

More chants of "fuck the police", though it then calmed down.

14:48 - Reporter Jamie says it's getting "more heated". Police have got their riot shields out, protesters shouted abuse at police officers, chanting "fuck the police" - though they have now started marching again.

The Met press office say they're currently unaware of any injuries, though there's usually a delay in them finding out.

14:43 - Statement from the Met: "A number of arrests have been made so far for public order offences."

14:38 - Our reporter Jamie's just called to say that the protesters are getting "increasingly vocal" in the stand-off at Fetter Lane. Still no movement there.

He's also hearing that another, unrelated protest, involving electricians, is being contained in a police kettle near Fleet Street.

Rumours among the protesters are that the electricians were planning to join the student demonstrations, but have been ketteled to prevent that from happening.

14:35 - Met statement from Twitter: "The march is stationary at Fetter Lane and police are in engaging with the protestors to continue on the planned route."

They are also planning to remove those who have pitched tents in Trafalgar Square shortly.

14:33 - Police dogs and TSG at Fetter Lane says one Twitter user at the scene.

14:28 - There's a stand-off between police and protesters on Fleet Street, says our reporter Jamie.

Police are telling protesters to go left down Fetter Lane. Protesters marching want to carry on straight.

Marchers are chanting "don't go left", Jamie reports.

The atmosphere remains calm, though, he adds.

14:15 - Another photo from Jamie shows the police helicopters, still circling overhead at the march,

14:04 - IBTimes UK reporter Jamie Lewis posts this picture of a police officer and protester glaring at each other.

13:51 - An occupation has begun in Trafalgar Square. Some protesters have pitched up tents in the area.

13:47 - From the Met's Twitter feed: "A small group have broken off the main route, this contravenes Sec 12 of the Public Order Act."

13:43 - Police have now released a statement telling protesters they are not allowed to "march to Bank junction or within 100 yards of the following streets as they feed into Bank junction; Princess Street, Threadneedle Street, Lombard Street, Cornhill, Poultry, Mansion House."

13:40 - Met Police say that protesters will not be allowed to hang around once the demonstration finishes for more than two hours.

13:34 - IBTimes UK reporter Jamie Lewis says he just witnessed a protester at the front of the march goading police, eventually getting in the face of an officer. The officer then grabbed him ad said: "Why have you got to ruin it for everyone else who's being peaceful?"

13:27 - The march is being held up in the Leicester Square area, says our reporter Jamie, who's at the front.

There's a line of police horses in front of the police line that's leading the march. He sends this picture.

13:14 - Our reporter Jamie sends us this photo of the front of the march.

13:07 - OccupyLSX have tweeted a picture showing Fleet Street blocked by police vans.

13:03 - One cheeky student has slyly stuck a sticker to the back of a policeman's helmet.

12:56: - Picture from Julian Farmer, a student at Royal Holloway, showing police line with protesters behind.

12:50 - The Met has clarified that there is "no intention" of using water cannons.

They've also said there's a Section 60 and 60AA in place, meaning the police have powers to stop and earch people, as well as get them to remov any disguises.

Several reports on Twitter are saying that protesters wearing masks are being stopped and made to remove them.

12:45 - Jamie caught up with Isaac Wilson, a 19-year-old protester.

Wilson said: "We're showing everybody that democracy is more than just vot every four or five years and this is our only way of showing that we have something to say."

12:37 - The march is finally underway. Our reporter Jamie reckons there are ten times the Met's earlier estimates. He'd put it at around 3k protesters.

12:30 - Just contacted the Met press office who refute the memo cited in our 12:20 update.

12:25 - Latest update from our reporter Jamie: "There are lots of different political movements, not about the education cuts, with megaphones around here." Some are talking about Jesus, some about socialism, some about prisoners in Mumbai, he says.

The march is still static and hasn't started, he reports. There is an overspill of people onto surrounding streets.

12:20 - According to New Statesman writer Laurie Penny, she's recieved an internal memo from a city worker's firm to its staff that says: "Police plan to '[hold] them between the Museum of London at London Wall and Coleman Street'".

"We have also been informed by the City of London Police that if need be they will be deploying water cannons."

12:15 Another picture from our reporter Jamie:

12:05 - According to the Met's estimates, there are only 350+ at the start of the demo on Malet Street, way off the initial 10,000 predicitons. More are due to join them though, the Met notes.

12:00 - Malet Street is packed with protesters ready to start marching, says our reporter Jame Lewis. He sends this photo.

There's a helicopter overhead, too.

11:50 - Our reporter Jamie Lewis is on Malet Street where the march is due to start in ten minutes. "There are lots of socialist stalls and anti-capitalist groups," he says.

Charlie Whelton tweeted a photo of one banner holder at the start.

11:45 - The Metropolitan Police say that "at present there is no intention to use baton rounds on today's demonstrations".

Around 10,000 students are predicted to be in London today for the latest wave of demonstrations against the government's higher education policy.

Hundreds of millions of pounds are being cut from universities' budgets, the cap on tuition fees has trebled to £9,000 a year, and EMA (educational maintenance allowance) is being drawn back.

Students will march through the City of London in a "day of action".

It's being organised by the National Campaign Against Fees ad Cuts.

"We are being told by a cabinet of millionaires that we will have to pay triple tuition fees," said lead organiser Michael Chessum.

Metropolitan Police will be out in force, with 4,000 officers on the capital's streets.

They have been authorised by commanding officer Simon Pountain to use baton round guns - rubber bullets - if the protests get violent.

Past student demonstrations in March 2011 and November have seen pockets of violence break out across central London.

Some London-based anarchists have promised that the "global sea of rage" will see "the next crach of waves" in London.