Man charged with urinating at memorial to PC Keith Palmer
A 28-year-old has been charged with outraging public decency after a man was photographed apparently urinating next to the memorial dedicated to PC Keith Palmer, the Metropolitan police has said.
The incident in Westminster on Saturday came amid violent protests by far-right activists in central London.
Andrew Banks, 28, of Stansted, was arrested on Sunday and later charged after presenting himself at a police station in Essex.
The photograph of a man apparently urinating on the memorial outside the Houses of Parliament sparked an outcry from politicians and the general public. Palmer died after being stabbed in the grounds of parliament during a terrorist attack by Khalid Masood in 2017.
Speaking on Saturday in response to an image circulating on social media, Bas Javid, a Met police commander, said: “We are aware of a disgusting and abhorrent image circulating on social media of a man appearing to urinate on a memorial to PC Palmer. I feel for PC Palmer’s family, friends and colleagues.
“We have immediately launched an investigation, and will gather all the evidence available to us and take appropriate action.”
In a later statement, Javid, added: “The scenes officers encountered across central London yesterday were utterly shocking. Once again, they were pelted with missiles, or challenged by groups of men intent on violence.
“Mindless hooliganism such as this is totally unacceptable and I am pleased arrests were made. We will now work closely with the courts in pursuit of justice.
More than 100 people were arrested at the far-right protest in London on
Saturday, which was condemned by the prime minister, Boris Johnson, as “racist thuggery”.
Twenty-three police officers suffered minor injuries in violent clashes as several hundred demonstrators, mostly white men, attended the protest organised by far-right groups that claimed they wanted to protect statues such as that of Winston Churchill from vandalism.
Video footage showed some of the self-proclaimed “statue defenders” apparently making Nazi salutes, and the protest quickly turned violent as the group took over areas near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square and hurled missiles, smoke grenades, glass bottles and flares at police officers.
Outbursts of violence continued around the city after a 5pm curfew set by the police had passed, with the last few protesters removed from Parliament Square at about 6.45pm.
By 9pm, a total of 113 peoplehad been arrested for offences including assault on officers, breach of the peace, violent disorder, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of class A drugs, and drunk and disorderly behaviour.
London ambulance service said it had treated 15 people for injuries, including two police officers. Six of these patients, all members of the public, had to be taken to hospital.