TAKEN from THE INDEPENDENT ©copyright Riot police called out in London as protest ends in skirmishes By Emily Dugan, Kaarina Miles and Richard Osley Sunday, 4 January 2009 Riot police were dispatched to the Israeli embassy in London last night as a day of protests across Europe degenerated into ugly skirmishes. In London Israeli flags were set ablaze and surging crowds were penned back by police with shields and batons. Some protesters were in tears, claiming they were being stopped from leaving peacefully, and organisers said they would complain about police heavy-handedness. Others, growing more aggressive as news of Israel’s ground invasion spread, threw missiles while police tried to drive them back. Late into the evening, several hundred were still staring down officers outside the embassy. The London ambulance service said it had helped one man with a head injury and others with minor bruises after sending a team of 25 to the scene. Tens of thousands initially took to the streets, even as Israeli forces were firing shells from the border of Gaza. In London, where the largest rally was held, Trafalgar Square turned to a sea of black, white, red and green Palestinian national colours as what organisers claimed were up to 55000 people showed up in the largest British demonstration for the Palestinian cause. Police claimed the size of the protest was far lower. In the crowd was the singer Annie Lennox, the comedian Alexei Sayle, Tony Benn and George Galloway. Lennox …