Coronavirus: police move to break up anti-lockdown protest in London

Police have moved to break up a protest in central London after thousands of people defied their advice and demonstrated against lockdowns, mass vaccinations, mandatory wearing of face masks and other coronavirus restrictions.

The protest, organised by campaign groups including Save Our Rights UK, was called to mark six months since the passage of the Coronavirus Act, which gave the government wide ranging powers to enact a range of restrictions intended to curb the spread of the virus.

Protesters began gathering from about midday, with the first speaker saying the protest was meant to to be a peaceful, and that it had been negotiated beforehand with the Metropolitan police, with a full health and safety impact assessment filed in advance.

However, around 3pm, the Met said the crowds had not “complied with the conditions of their risk assessment and are putting people in danger of transmitting the virus”.

They said the protesters must leave. “By leaving now, you can keep yourself safe and avoid any enforcement action being taken by officers.”

Officers used batons against protesters, leaving some bleeding, with visible injuries. At least three protesters and one officer were treated by medical staff.

Police and demonstrators scuffled outside the National Gallery, after officers waded in to break up part of the crowd and seize the sound system just before 3pm.

One unit of police pushed their way to the middle of the crowd, where they were met with anger from protesters who called them “bullies” and “cowards”.

One person told a group of officers in riot gear: “Police please put away your weapons this is a peaceful protest”.

A coalition of groups, who draw support from 5G conspiracy theorists, coronavirus sceptics and anti-vaxxers, were involved in the demonstration. Speakers at the top of the steps leading to the National Gallery included conspiracy theorist David Icke.

The words of speakers were met with roars of “Freedom!” from the crowd, while others chanted, “We will win”. Placards saying “Think before it is illegal” and “Obey” were held aloft, with some advertising the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Prior to the police intervention, Kerry Dunn, 41, from Bath, said she was there to warn about the dangers of vaccines, saying she believed her son, Beau, had suffered serious adverse affects after he was vaccinated.

“That’s why we are here. I’ve been shouting that mandatory vaccines are coming, no one believed me. No we can see it’s just around the corner, we’ve never been closer.”

40-year-old Vinothini Apok, from north London, who said she used to be a doctor, stated she was there because “people should be given a choice.”

“What I see happening is fear and negativity being propagated,” she said.

Paul McLeish, 53, who had travelled from from Ashford, said he was there because of what he believed was a plan to oppress people for the benefit of the ruling class. “This agenda is to give people fear and push the death rates up.”

The demonstration, called We Do Not Consent, comes a week after a separate event during which more than a dozen officers were injured when a “small minority” targeted police and more than 32 arrests were made.

Another event, billed as a “People’s network and family picnic”, is also being organised by the same activists for Sunday in Hyde Park.

The Metropolitan police said ahead of Saturday’s protest that they had been engaging with organisers throughout the week to remind them of their legal obligations and explain that the events could be in breach of coronavirus regulations.

While protests are exempt from the rule of six, which is in force in England, organisers must submit a risk assessment and comply with social distancing.

Commander Ade Adelekan, who is leading the Met operation, said on Friday that while there was “great frustration” at the regulations, a large protest could put the health of protesters and their contacts at risk.

On Saturday afternoon, the Met said: “We want to be clear, this protest is no longer exempt from the regulations. We are asking those attending to disperse.”

Criticism of newly-introduced restrictions designed to stem the spread of coronavirus, has grown in recent weeks, with a number of Conservative MPs planning to use a vote on the renewal of the Coronavirus Act to make clear they will not tolerate further curbs on freedoms unless there is a more dramatic rise in the number of people being treated in hospital. The number of patients in hospital stood at 1,616 on Wednesday.

Prof Graham Medley, who sits on the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said on Saturday that the current infection rates meant that the UK’s daily coronavirus death toll would rise from 34 to 100 a day in three to four weeks’ time.