London:
In Britain's worst political violence in years, furious student protesters rained sticks and rocks on riot police, vandalised government buildings and attacked a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, after lawmakers approved a controversial hike in university tuition fees.
Protesters erupted in anger after legislators in the House of Commons approved a plan to triple university fees to nine thousand pounds (14-thousand US dollars) a year.
As thousands of students were corralled by police near Parliament, some strummed guitars and sang Beatles songs, but others hurled chunks of paving stones at police and smashed windows in the Supreme Court building.
Another group ran riot through the busy shopping streets of London's West End, smashing store windows and setting fire to a giant Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, were also caught up in the protests, with demonstrators attacking their limousine as it drove through the West End.
Police condemned the "wanton vandalism." They said 38 protesters and 10 officers had been injured, while 15 people were arrested.
The plan to raise the cap on tuition fees was approved 323-302 in the House of Commons, a close vote given the government's 84-seat majority.
Many in the thousands-strong crowd booed and chanted "shame" when they heard the result of the vote, and pressed against metal barriers and lines of riot police penning them in.
Earlier small groups of protesters threw flares, billiard balls and paint bombs, as officers, some on horses, rushed to reinforce the security cordon.
The vote posed a crucial test for the governing Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, and for the government's austerity plans to reduce Britain's budget deficit.
Cameron's government describes the hike in fees as a painful necessity to deal with a record budget deficit and a sputtering economy.
But many students say that with higher fees, graduates will be stricken with piles of debt, making a well-rounded education unattainable for many.
Many protesters have been particularly incensed by the broken pledge from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's party, the Liberal Democrats, making Clegg one of the least popular politicians on university campuses.
The Liberal Democrats signed a pre-election pledge to oppose any such tuition hike, and reserved the right to abstain in the vote even though they are part of the governing coalition proposing the change.
Clegg defended the proposals, saying the plans represented the "best possible choice" at a time of economic uncertainty.
But many in his party disagreed. 21 Lib Dem lawmakers, more than a third of the total, voted against the fee hike.
Another eight, including at least one government minister, abstained.
Protesters erupted in anger after legislators in the House of Commons approved a plan to triple university fees to nine thousand pounds (14-thousand US dollars) a year.
As thousands of students were corralled by police near Parliament, some strummed guitars and sang Beatles songs, but others hurled chunks of paving stones at police and smashed windows in the Supreme Court building.
Another group ran riot through the busy shopping streets of London's West End, smashing store windows and setting fire to a giant Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.
Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, were also caught up in the protests, with demonstrators attacking their limousine as it drove through the West End.
Police condemned the "wanton vandalism." They said 38 protesters and 10 officers had been injured, while 15 people were arrested.
The plan to raise the cap on tuition fees was approved 323-302 in the House of Commons, a close vote given the government's 84-seat majority.
Many in the thousands-strong crowd booed and chanted "shame" when they heard the result of the vote, and pressed against metal barriers and lines of riot police penning them in.
Earlier small groups of protesters threw flares, billiard balls and paint bombs, as officers, some on horses, rushed to reinforce the security cordon.
The vote posed a crucial test for the governing Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, and for the government's austerity plans to reduce Britain's budget deficit.
Cameron's government describes the hike in fees as a painful necessity to deal with a record budget deficit and a sputtering economy.
But many students say that with higher fees, graduates will be stricken with piles of debt, making a well-rounded education unattainable for many.
Many protesters have been particularly incensed by the broken pledge from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's party, the Liberal Democrats, making Clegg one of the least popular politicians on university campuses.
The Liberal Democrats signed a pre-election pledge to oppose any such tuition hike, and reserved the right to abstain in the vote even though they are part of the governing coalition proposing the change.
Clegg defended the proposals, saying the plans represented the "best possible choice" at a time of economic uncertainty.
But many in his party disagreed. 21 Lib Dem lawmakers, more than a third of the total, voted against the fee hike.
Another eight, including at least one government minister, abstained.
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