What HAS become of the tolerant Britain we love?
A MOB of far-Right extremists pelted police with bottles, barriers and fireworks yesterday in scenes condemned by Home Secretary Priti Patel as ‘unacceptable thuggery’.
Violence flared in Central London for the second Saturday in a row after hundreds of mainly white men joined a counter-protest to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration.
Following the defacing of Winston Churchill’s statue last weekend, the rally was billed as being about the legitimate issue of protecting historical monuments during anti-racist events. But although a small number of military veterans in uniform made their point peacefully, their actions were hijacked by others intent on confronting police and BLM supporters.
Large groups of white men began converging on Parliament Square from about 11.30am in answer to a call from extremist groups, including Britain First and the Football Lads, headed by former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson. At the same time, BLM protesters were gathering at Hyde Park.
About an hour later, the first of several pitched battles erupted as police in riot gear tried to hold back crowds chanting ‘Eng-er-land’ and raising their arms in apparent Nazi salutes.
Time and again, the drunken mob lunged at police lines, which blocked them from moving down Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square, where some BLM supporters were gathered.
At one point it appeared the mob might break through as flares, smoke bombs and metal crowd barriers rained down on the officers, but reinforcements helped keep the line.
One small group of Right-wingers did manage to find their way into Trafalgar Square to fight with BLM groups, but police contained the violence. Similar running battles occurred later in Hyde Park and at Waterloo Station as rival groups clashed.
About 1,000 protesters ignored a 5pm police curfew, instead staying in Trafalgar Square ‘This type of racist thuggery has no place on our streets’ where a small number of troublemakers on both sides sparked skirmishes with police.
At least one man – believed to be a Tommy Robinson supporter – was attacked by angry crowds in the shadow of Nelson’s Column. The injured man was punched and kicked to the floor, leaving blood streaming from his nose.
About 300 BLM protesters headed to Waterloo Station after the curfew, chasing men they said were members of the EDL. At least 15 people were injured, including six police officers, and six people were taken to hospital.
One dazed and injured white man was plucked to safety on the shoulders of a BLM supporter. Some in the crowd said the wounded man was a far-Right protester who had been badly beaten before others came to his rescue.
Last night, the Met said more than 100 people had been arrested for offences including violent disorder, breach of the peace, assault on officers, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of Class A drugs and being drunk and disorderly.
Last night, Boris Johnson said: ‘Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with the full force of the law. These marches and protests have been subverted by violence and breach guidelines.’
The violent outbreaks were also criticised by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who called them ‘thoroughly unacceptable thuggery’.
She added: ‘Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated.’
On Friday, statues in Parliament Square including those of Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, were boarded up to prevent them being targeted by protesters both from the BLM movement and far-Right groups.
Police on horseback pushed back demonstrators near the statues of Mandela and Gandhi on Saturday as protesters continued to throw objects, including at least one smoke bomb.
In an attempt to avoid a repeat of last week’s sporadic clashes with officers during BLM protests, the Met warned demonstrators yesterday that they must be off the streets by 5pm or risk being arrested.
Paul Golding, leader of the farRight Britain First, was prominent among the crowd, wearing a ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt.
Demonstrators cl ashed with police officers close to Westminster Bridge, with glass bottles thrown towards the officers. Some protesters chanted: ‘You let your country down.’
Elsewhere across Britain, thousands of BLM demonstrators took to the streets and there were a number of flashpoints as protesters clashed with far-Right groups in Newcastle and Bolton.
In the largest protest, a 10,000strong crowd in Brighton wearing black clothes and masks formed a mile-long line along the seafront to stage a silent demo.
Residents in Leicester guarded a statue of Gandhi after 6,000 people signed a petition accusing the Indian peace activist of racism and demanding its removal.
Speaking to the MoS, Met Commander Bas Javid, brother of
former Home Secretary Sajid Javid, insisted that police had made the right decision to allow protesters to gather in Central London despite the lockdown and fears of violent clashes.
He said: ‘The assessment made was that the best tactic was to cater for an assembly and the best way to do that is to put conditions in place, not just a time limit but locations. In our view, having an element of control is the best and safest way to manage that, not just for the public but for the people who are demonstrating and police officers.’ Additional reporting: Holly Bancroft and Peter Henn