Police arrested more than 100 counter protesters after clashing with far-right activists who targeted Black Lives Matter demonstrations in London.
What We Know:
- The BLM anti-racism protest on Saturday was cancelled over security concerns, but some protesters still came to Hyde Park. Hundreds of far-right counter protestors demonstrated despite police restrictions. Police anticipated clashes between BLM and far-right activists and imposed time limits and area restrictions for their demonstrations.
- Counter protesters gathered around a statue of Winston Churchill, intending to protect it. Monuments in the area were already boarded up to guard against vandalism.
- A small number of people threw bottles and trash at officers and some tried to violently breach the police barrier. Some police officers responded by beating counter protestors with batons. The Metropolitan Police cited the offenses as breach of the peace, violent disorder, assault on officers, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of class A drugs, and drunk and disorder.
- UK Home Minister Priti Patel called the situation “thoroughly unacceptable thuggery” and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said “perpetrators will feel the full force of the law”.
- On Sunday, police also arrested a 28-year-old man for urinating on the memorial for Keith Palmer, a police officer killed during the 2017 Westminster terror attack.
Saturday and Sunday’s events come after consecutive weekends of worldwide protests and statue removals. Last week, British protestors tore down the statue of Edward Colston, a notorious slave trader. Controversy surrounds imperialist statues, including the monument to Winston Churchill. Although he is celebrated as a World War II hero, his legacy is also tainted by his atrocities in the colonies and his white supremacist views.
