Thousands of protesters gather in central London despite police warnings
Police announce a curfew in an attempt to prevent the violence that has been seen at protests in the capital during recent days.
Saturday 13 June 2020 17:27, UK
Crowds gathered in central London on Saturday despite police warnings to avoid demonstrations.
Counter-demonstrators clashed with police close to Westminster Bridge, with glass bottles thrown towards the officers and their vans.
The group gathered in Parliament Square and marched towards the covered Sir Winston Churchill monument where Sky's Mark White said there were "violent scuffles" by the statue.
Some protesters sang Rule Britannia and the national anthem and started banging on the sides of the covering, claiming they were there to protect statues from the anti-racism rallies.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the clashes with police as "thoroughly unacceptable thuggery".
She tweeted: "Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law.
"Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated. Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus & save lives."
Protesters in London were told by police they must be off the streets by 5pm.
The restriction was an attempt to avoid a repeat of last week's violent clashes with police during Black Lives Matter protests.
And protesters were asked to keep to the planned march route, which runs from Hyde Park to Whitehall.
The conditions were set under section 12 of the Public Order Act.
On Saturday the Metropolitan Police announced it had imposed a section 60 order under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which gives police the right to search people in a defined area during a specific time period.
It came into force at 11am on Saturday and will run until 2am on Sunday, 14 June.
It covers the areas of:
- Bayswater Road across to Holborn
- Kingsway to Elephant and Castle
- Kennington Lane to Battersea Park Road
- Kensington Road to Queenstown Road
Metropolitan Police Commander Bas Javid said he understood the depth of feeling of protesters but urged people not to come into London.
"If you were planning to come to London, I again would urge you to reconsider, but if you are still intent, please familiarise yourself with what the conditions are," he said.
"Please keep yourself safe by complying with government guidance on social distancing."
He also promised a "robust" response to any disorder at protests this weekend.
"The safety of protesters, officers and the public this weekend is of the upmost importance, and it is for that exact reason why we have consulted with colleagues and partners, and decided it is proportionate to put in place a Section 60," he said.
"It is our job to protect those who are coming into central London today, and this tactic is one of the best available to us, which allows us to seize offensive weapons that have absolutely no place on our streets at any time of the day."
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He added: "We will not tolerate any violent disorder like we saw last weekend - and anyone who thinks they can commit a crime or vandalise property will be arrested."
Last week's protests were sparked by the killing of American George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis last month after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
The UK's National Police Chiefs' Council said on Friday that more than 130 people have been arrested during almost 200 demonstrations across Britain since the death of Mr Floyd.
More than 60 police officers have also been injured.
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