Tensions spiked in a day of largely peaceful protests when protesters, some of them angrily demanding to see the Premier, poured into the Cabinet Office and had to be removed by police.

Officers responded swiftly when demonstrators followed Michael Dunkley down from Parliament after the morning session, when the Premier gave a press conference with Cabinet members and senators.

Mr Dunkley and other members of the One Bermuda Alliance were unable to exit as officers barred irate protesters in the hall, ordering everyone who was not able to sit down quietly to leave the building.

The majority of protesters complied, although a few briefly confronted police in the foyer of Cabinet. The public gallery of the Senate chamber was filled with members of the public who opted to keep their seats while protest leaders discussed how to proceed.

Chris Furbert, the president of the Bermuda Industrial Union, conferred with Jason Hayward, president and treasurer of the Bermuda Public Services Union, and the Reverend Nicholas Tweed, one of the leaders of the People’s Campaign.

The three subsequently met behind closed doors with Mr Dunkley and his Cabinet, with Mr Furbert later addressing crowds outside Parliament with an appeal for trust, saying they would meet with the Government and report back — and assuring demonstrators that “we are not asking you to stand down on anything”.