Over 100 people have been arrested in London following another day of social unrest that saw anti-racism demonstrators clash with rival protestors.
About 15 people, reportedly including six police officers, were injured during clashes in central London on Saturday between Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters and counter-demonstrators who, according to widespread British media reports, included members of the “far-right.”
In the days running up to Saturday, it was widely anticipated that a face-off between the two sides was likely. A number of activist groups, such as the Democratic Football Lads Alliance and the English Defence League, pledged to protect statues of historical figures like Winston Churchill that had been the target of BLM protestors in previous days. However, it has also been widely reported that ordinary Brits who were simply concerned about the vandalising of statues of celebrated national figures turned up to protect them.
The London Ambulance Service is said to have treated 15 individuals who were injured at the protests. Six members of the public were reportedly taken to hospital. According to Sky News, there was “widespread and sustained disorder” at the protests.
Last week during a large BLM protest in London - sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in the US, by a Minneapolis police officer - protestors defaced the monument of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square by writing “was a racist” under his name. Another Black Lives Matter protestor attempted to burn the Union Jack at the Cenotaph - a memorial that commemorates Britain’s war dead.
London police announced beforehand that both sides of Saturday’s protest had to end by 5pm. BLM was called upon to stick to a specific route between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square. The counter-demonstrations had to remain in Whitehall and Parliament Square. However, footage released shows that both sides ignored those calls.
The EDL are using fireworks on BLM Protestors #londonprotest pic.twitter.com/2xF7IgvqOW
— Omar E Anderson ☁️ (@omarofficiallll) June 13, 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused some of those among the counter-demonstrators of “throughly unacceptable thuggery” after videos of bottles and cans being thrown at police officers surged through the Twittersphere.
Johnson tweeted that, “Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with full force of the law. These marches & protests have been subverted by violence and breach current guidelines. Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality.”
Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with full force of the law. These marches & protests have been subverted by violence and breach current guidelines. Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality.
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 13, 2020
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also took to Twitter to condemn the violence, especially that which was aimed at police officers who were trying to separate the BLM protestors from the counter-demonstrators.
Millions of Londoners will have been disgusted by the shameful scenes of violence, desecration and racism displayed by the right-wing extremists who gathered in our city today.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 13, 2020
In the face of attacks and abuse, our police did a fantastic job to control the situation. Thank you.
Mr Khan had previously ordered the boarding up of statues in London that were likely to act as flashpoint between BLM protestors and the counter-demonstrators.
Statues of figures like Churchill were boarded up because, according to Mr Khan, right-wing groups were using the protection of them as a justification for heading to London for a standoff with BLM.
Monuments of black and Asian political figures, such as former South African President, Nelson Mandela, and the former Indian revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi, were also covered in protective boarding. According to Khan, he done so because his mayoral office had “intelligence suggesting that far-right extremist groups” were planning to attack such monuments.
Projectiles and, what appears to be a flash grenade, thrown at police on Trafalgar Square this afternoon pic.twitter.com/TaWIpQQYCv
— Vinnie O'Dowd (@VinnieoDowd) June 13, 2020
