The flames of hatred: 30 years of loathing for Baroness Thatcher explodes in celebrations of her death.

On a blazing street, bloodied youths mill around police with riot shields.

With such disgraceful scenes yesterday, the Left marked the passing of Baroness Thatcher.

Violence erupted at ‘death parties’ across the country. Six officers were injured in the early hours at the one pictured below, in Bristol.

It raised security concerns about next week’s funeral, with increasing fears that militant groups, anti-austerity protesters or even dissident Irish Republicans might seek to disrupt the occasion.

One police source said senior officers had initially been ‘quite relaxed’  about the operation to protect Wednesday’s farewell to the former prime minister, but had hardened their view as disorder broke out.

The funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral now looks likely to present a security challenge unparalleled since the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and Sir Winston Churchill in 1965

While many senior politicians on all sides acknowledged Lady Thatcher’s towering legacy, some of her old foes were unable to demonstrate respect for her in death.

Surprisingly, a close friend of Lady Thatcher said she would have considered the insults and the street parties being organised to mark her death as a ‘remarkable tribute’.

Conor Burns revealed that months ago, the former prime minister expressed delight that stalls at the Trades Union Congress were selling ‘party packs’ for delegates who despised her to use when she passed away.

Mr Burns, who visited Lady Thatcher weekly, said: ‘I remember telling her about the TUC congress selling Thatcher death party packs.

‘She said the fact that they still felt so strongly about her more than 20 years after she left Downing Street was a tribute to the fact that she had done something in politics, rather than just been someone in politics.’

Read More:DailyMail