Parliament Square statues boarded up because of threat from far-right extremists, Sadiq Khan says

Statues in London's Parliament Square have been boarded up to protect them from attacks by far-right extremists, Sadiq Khan has said.

The Mayor of London said the Metropolitan Police had obtained intelligence that such groups were planning to come to the capital and damage monuments of black and Asian statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

He urged people to stay away from a planned Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Saturday, warning that that confrontations between anti-racism protesters and right-wingers could turn violent and could also act as a vector for spreading coronavirus.

"We have intelligence that extreme far-right groups are coming to London, ostensibly they say to protect the statues," Mr Khan told the BBC on Saturday morning.

"We think these statues may be a flash point for violence and we are worried about extreme far-right groups getting involved in violence, vandalism and disorder with those protesting as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and that's one of the reasons I'm asking people to stay away from central London."

Images of statues outside parliament being boarded up have provoked anger from some politicians. Home Secretary Priti Patel last night said the monuments should be "liberated" and criticised Mr Khan for the decision to board them up.

But Mr Khan said the statues being protected were "not just the statues of Winston Churchill but also indeed of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi".

"I'd just say respectfully to the Home Secretary, she needs to see the intelligence we've seen, which is that the extreme far-right are intending to come to central London, one of their justifications for doing so is to protect these statues, but also they are intending to remove statues of people like Nelson Mandela."

He added that the statues had been boarded up before, including while Boris Johnson was Mayor, sometimes for weeks at a time.

Police have said Saturday demonstration must end up 5pm and that the Black Lives Matter protest must stay on a specific route between Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square.

Far-right groups travelling to the capital for the day will have to stay on Whitehall and Parliament Square and also disperse by the same time.

"I think we've done the wise precautionary thing which is to protect the statues with the boarding up and advise people not to come to central London," Mr Khan said.

"The Metropolitan Police have imposed these conditions and what I'd hope is that rather than making political points, central government would work with regional government and the police to make sure there isn't violence, vandalism, and disorder or the spreading of the virus."

The Mayor said that ultimately the issue of statues was a "huge distraction" from tackling

Nick Lowles of anti-racism group Hope Not Hate warned: "There are some people who are genuinely concerned about the protection of their statues and monuments but many people are coming for a fight and they are talking openly about it on their social media accounts."

Anti-racism protesters pulled down a statue of slave trader Thomas Colston in Bristol last week after a protracted political battle to get it removed by lawful means came to nought. The action sparked a nationwide debate about racist monuments in the UK which has led to some councils removing similar statues.

The Mayor of London has launched a formal review of monuments in London, while Boris Johnson this week such statues should remain in place, arguing that they are an important part of the UK's history.