London (Parliament News) – St George’s Day rally in central London turns violent as clashes erupt between protesters and police. Disorderly scenes unfold despite police efforts.
An assemblage in central London to mark St George’s Day shifted violently as a brawl exploded with police officers. A group of people moved past Met officers and “violently pushed their way through” as officers attempted to contain them in an assigned area near Whitehall, the force stated on Tuesday. Men wearing St George’s banners pushed through a wall of officers wearing hi-viz vests.
The Metropolitan Police stated: “Regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder. There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall. When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn around, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.”
London Rally Descends into Chaos: What Happened?”
The video directed one of the horses being pounded by a man with a long object. Some of the protesters came wrapped as knights. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air and many appeared drunk.
One man crumpled next to Downing Street and was treated by paramedics. Laurence Fox took to the podium to make offensive remarks about Sadiq Khan. He called the London mayor a “dictator” before conducting the crowd in chants of “get Khan out”.
What Led to Tommy Robinson’s Speech?”
In his speech to the mob collected on Whitehall, Tommy Robinson, who was earlier on Tuesday earned of breaching a dispersal order at a previous London protest against antisemitism, declared that “jihadist marches” had “taken over London” in the last six months.
Scotland Yard deployed additional officers to stop disturbances erupting as masked individuals were caught gathering ahead of the protest.
At around midday, the Met stated: “Later today, an event to mark St George’s Day is expected to take place on Richmond Terrace, off Whitehall.“We believe those planning to attend include far-right groups and groups related to football clubs travelling from elsewhere in the UK.”The force said public order officers were being deployed, with a helicopter hovering overhead.
British Transport Police and the City of London Police were also implicated in the operation.
The Met said: “The officers’ primary function is to ensure the security of participants and the public, but they will not pause to respond in the event of disorderly behaviour or other offences.”
The groups were supposed to be gathering in the Waterloo area before entering the event in Whitehall. Police were in the area “to respond to any incidents”.
The Met emphasised: “Some people, have been seen in the area wearing masks.
A Section 60AA directive, giving officers the power to demand the removal of face coverings, is now in power in the boroughs of Lambeth and Westminster.”
The force said: “We have been in talks with the organiser of the Richmond Terrace event over recent days. Anyone partaking in the event must remain on Richmond Terrace within the area marked. The occasion cannot start before 3 pm and must finish by 5 pm. Some of the flag-wearing protesters shouted “F*** Palestine” and “They don’t want us to be English”.