Protest
Fletcher, who had joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1977, was part of a detachment of 30 officers sent to St. James's Square to monitor a demonstration by Libyan dissidents opposed to the rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Among the detachment with Fletcher was her fiancé.
The demonstration had been organised by the Libyan National Salvation Front (LNSF) following the execution of two students who had criticised Gaddafi. Since February 1984 the Libyan embassy, which was also known as the Libyan People's Bureau, had been staffed by "revolutionary committees" made up of students loyal to Gaddafi who had assumed control of the diplomatic mission with the tacit approval of the Libyan government. They were not professional diplomats. Gaddafi loyalists at the embassy warned police that they intended to mount a counter-demonstration.
On the day, about 75 protesters arrived by coach from northern England. The demonstration began peacefully as police successfully kept the two sides apart with crowd control barriers. Both groups shouted at each other and waved banners and placards. Loud music was played from the People's Bureau in an apparent attempt to drown out the noise of the protesters.
Read more about this topic: 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege
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