Angry mob caught on police bodycam
OFFICERS face an angry mob wielding a barrage of missiles as they try to police an unlicensed music event revealed in newly released bodycam footage.
Two officers were injured as they were pelted with canisters, bottles and even a bicycle.
A dispersal zone was set up and trained public order officers tried to get them to leave but Met Police said they were met with “hostility and violence”.
Residents living near the Woodberry Down Estate in Finsbury Park, north London, alerted police to the event from 11pm on Friday night.
As objects were hurled, one officer had to go hospital with bruising to his ribs and has since been discharged while the other suffered a leg injury but bravely stayed on duty.
An 18-year-old was arrested for violent disorder and obstruction, while a 19-year-old was also held for obstruction.
The footage from an officer shows police moving in to disperse the crowd as they came under fire.
In a statement, Deputy Assistant
Commissioner Lucy D’Orsi said police received “upwards of 30 calls” about the event from residents asking for help.
“These residents were scared to leave their homes,” she said.
Unlicensed music events have become a regular issue for police across England ever since lockdown restrictions were eased.
Avon and Somerset police were called to an illegal rave at a former RAF base on Saturday night.
Over 3,000 people attended the event at the former RAF Charmy Down airfield, three miles from Bath, Somerset.
Residents from eight miles away and as far away as neighbouring city Bristol complained they could hear noise throughout the night.
Police, who spent 15 hours trying to disperse crowds, have dubbed the event “selfish” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
And earlier on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police issued a statement saying that they had dismantled a planned illegal rave by engaging with audio equipment suppliers.
The statement said: “These events are unacceptable; they put lives at risk and they will not be tolerated.”