London protests: Priti Patel condemns ‘unacceptable thuggery’ as statue demonstrators clash with police
Hundreds of mostly white men descend on London after call to action by far-right groups
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Home secretary Priti Patel has condemned acts of “unacceptable thuggery” by anti-Black Lives Matter protesters who have clashed with police in London.
Hundreds of mostly white men descended on Parliament Square on Saturday after far-right groups, such as Britain First, called on supporters to guard statues of historical figures.
“Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law,” Ms Patel wrote on Twitter, in response to a video of clashes between protesters and the police.
“Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated.”
She added: “Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus and save lives.”
The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was boarded up earlier this week over concerns that it could be vandalised by anti-racism groups due to the former prime minister's controversial racial views.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said on Saturday that statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi had also been boarded up due to the threat of attacks from far-right extremists.
Mr Khan said the Metropolitan Police had obtained intelligence which showed far-right groups were planning to come to the capital to damage monuments of black and Asian historical figures.
BLM organisers had urged supporters to avoid anti-racism rallies in central London this weekend due to safety fears over the potential for violent clashes with far-right groups.
Many of the anti-BLM demonstrators on Saturday were seen drinking and clashing with police in riot gear, with members filmed shouting abuse at officers.
Some members of the crowd were also filmed chanting: “Winston Churchill, he’s one of our own”.
Although anti-racism protesters were urged to stay away from central London, BLM demonstrations took place in Belfast, Brighton, Glasgow and Bristol on Saturday.
Protests against police brutality and racism have erupted in the UK and across the world following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by an officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last month.
Statues of historical figures have become a flashpoint for demonstrations after a monument to slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and dumped into Bristol harbour last week.
Additional reporting by PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments