The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Mayor blames chaos on weather
Police dispute claim after temperatures boil over on day of violence in capital
Violent clashes in which at least five people were stabbed and others injured were “probably fuelled by the hot weather”, London mayor Sadiq Khan said.
Violence marred Londoners’ sunny festivities as high temperatures gripped the capital on Tuesday, the hottest day of the year so far. Three people, including a police officer, were stabbed when a water fight at Hyde Park turned nasty, and four officers and a member of public suffered other injuries.
InBurgess Park, London, two 16-year-old boys were knifed as disorder broke out among 600 young people takingpart inanend-ofterm water fight in the sun, while a nearby shop was ransacked. There was further disorder well into the night as police were pelted with missiles as they moved hundreds of revellers from an illegal block party in north-east London.
Mr Khan said: “It is extremely disappointing to hear of several incidents, probably fuelled by the hot weather, that led to public disorder.”
Speaking of the Hyde Park disorder, Met Police commander B.J. Harrington said a group decided to set up an unlicensed music event as people flocked to enjoy the sun.
“Officers were attacked as they tried to negotiate
“Does the weather cause people to be violent? My opinion is ‘no’”
andtalk to the organisers of this event. We saw five officers injured in total: one stabbed in the hand, one hit in theheadwithabottle, and absolutely unacceptable levels of violence against officers, and indeed members of the public.”
Mr Harrington denied that the disturbance had anything to do with the Black Lives Matter movement. The spell of hot weather was no excuse for violent criminal behaviour, he added. He said: “Does theweathercause people to be violent? My opinion is ‘no, that’s not the case’. Four thousand people assembled in a London park – that’s not unusual for one of our central London parks. What is unusual is where people behave criminally, where their be- haviour is unacceptable, where they attack officers, they attack each other.”
MrHarrington promised arrests would be made as investigators reviewa large amount of CCTV and helicopter footage.
Mobile phone video shared on social media showed people vaulting over the counter ofMcDonald’s in Marble Arch, as crowds spilled out of the nearby park. Families with children were inside when foodanddrink were looted, and staff were forced to retreat toabackroomto await police who were called at 9.15pm. In Burgess Park, fights between small groups broke out and then escalated, and a crowd of 1,000 to 1,500 people was dispersed by 11pm.
At 8pm police were called to a supermarket in Southwark, to reports of up to 200 people causingdamage inside the store and stealing, with two female customers suffering minor injuries.