The protest was scheduled to end at 2 pm, but slightly overran. The Metropolitan Police were expecting 20,000 demonstrators to turn out, well below the 50,000 figure most widely quoted in the press after the event, and did not expect any violence, so deployed only 225 officers to police the event. Millbank occupation In the afternoon, as protesters passed the Houses of Parliament and moved towards Tate Britain for the rally, several thousand surrounded 30 Millbank in Westminster, campaign headquarters of the Conservative Party, despite attempts by NUS organisers to stop them. Forcing their way past the limited police presence, approximately 200 people broke in and occupied the building, whilst a thousand more cheered and supported them from outside. These protesters lit placards on fire, and smashed windows before occupying and vandalising the reception area. Staff working in the building were evacuated by police around 1 pm. Around 100 protesters proceeded to the roof of the building, chanting slogans including "Greece! France! Now here too". Initial press sources blamed this action on a group of anarchists. This was later disputed, with a reporter from The Guardian noting that most of the protesters occupying the building were students who had been radicalised in opposition to the cuts, and were not all political anarchists. Riot police from the Territorial Support Group arrived an hour after the building was occupied to remove the protesters. In retaliation, the police were pelted with eggs, rotten fruit, banners, and shards of glass. One of the protesters on the building's roof, Edward Woolard, threw a fire extinguisher onto the police below. He received instant criticism from some of the protesting crowds, who called on those on the roof to "stop throwing shit". To control the situation, police used the controversial technique of kettling to trap the protesters within Millbank Square, the forecourt to 30 Millbank, whilst protesters on the outside of the building were pushed back. The police began letting demonstrators out of the building from 6:30 pm, arresting those whom they believed were responsible for vandalism. The demonstration led to a disruption in London's transport, with journalist Harry Mount stating: "I have never seen London traffic so jammed in 39 years living in the city." Alongside the occupation of Millbank, a smaller number of protesters had travelled to the headquarters of the Liberal Democrats in Cowley Street, where a car window was smashed. In all, 14