https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shocking-pictures-show-sickening-violence-22187686?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=EM_Mirror_Nletter_DailyNews_News_mediumteaser_Image_Story&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter&ccid=2369561Shocking pictures show sickening violence across the UK on day of right-wing protests
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT: People were left covered in blood as fights broke out in London's Trafalgar Square while police tried to keep far-right demonstrators and Black Lives Matter supporters apart
By Chris Kitching Senior News Reporter, Gregory Kirkby, Jess Glass and Taz Ali
20:02, 13 JUN 2020 Updated 22:16, 13 JUN 2020
Men were left bloodied as thugs and Black Lives Matter supporters came to blows during violent clashes in London while tensions flared in a number of cities. People were knocked to the floor and left needing treatment from paramedics as officers tried to stop fights involving counter-protests in Trafalgar Square after far-right demonstrators had attacked police and journalists. Police were seen protecting some people who lay prone on the ground in scenes of chaos shortly before a 5 pm curfew, aimed at ending the demonstrations, went into effect. After the deadline, there were further scenes of violence at Waterloo station when fights broke out as anti-racism activists attacked thugs who were trying to catch trains homes, according to witnesses. Not all demonstrations in the UK were marred by violence on Saturday there were peaceful anti-racism marches in cities such as Brighton. About 20 people were treated for injuries and more than 100 were arrested during the protests, which went ahead despite appeals for calm and for demonstrators to stay home and abide by the coronavirus lockdown and social distancing rules. The day began with several hundred demonstrators, mostly white men, attending a protest organised by far-right groups, including Britain First, which claimed they wanted to protect statues such as Winston Churchill and memorials from vandalism. Police were attacked with missiles and smoke bombs, and the thugs later went looking for Black Lives Matter activists. The group Hope not Hate said: "These protesters had no time for statues or monuments. They just wanted confrontation and violence."
During that event a man urinated next to a memorial dedicated to PC Keith Palmer, the police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack, sparking outrage, a campaign to identify him and calls for him to be sent to prison. At the same time, Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists were marching on Trafalgar Square. Around Parliament, fights erupted and thugs repeatedly assailed officers with foul-mouthed chants and missiles, smoke grenades, and flares. Shards of glass were strewn along the streets close to the Cenotaph on Whitehall after bottles, cans, and other objects were thrown at police officers clad in riot gear. In one video, several white men appeared to give the Nazi salute as they confronted officers at a barricade and then lobbed missiles. Some of the officers swung their batons at the men. The scene unfolded near the statue of Churchill, the Prime Minister who helped lead the Allies' defeat of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Several journalists said they were attacked, including a photographer whose face was bloodied and was said to have possibly suffered a broken nose. After clashing with police around Parliament, the far-right thugs made their way to Trafalgar Square, where they stood under Nelson's Column, setting off more smoke bombs, and riot police formed a ring to keep the two groups apart. Fireworks were set off and objects were thrown as a police helicopter circled overhead. Fights erupted and a number of people were left bloodied shortly before the 5 pm deadline. One photo showed a man with his face covered in blood after he fell to the floor. Later, after the curfew went into effect, the protesters began to disperse and the groups made their way across the River Thames to Waterloo station. There were fights in the streets as police tried to keep the crowds under control. Witnesses said BLM supporters tried to force their way into the station chanting “Black Lives Matter†and “F*** EDLâ€, a reference to the English Defence League, as outnumbered police scrambled to hold them back. The group charged the station, overwhelming a small number of police manning the gates as thugs departed on trains. Police reinforcements soon arrived and forced their way between the protesters and the station entrance gates. Officers detonated purple smoke bombs in an attempt to disperse the angry mob who launched dozens of bottles at them as they continued to scream "F*** EDL". The crowd then split into two and circled the station in opposition directions as more police arrived at the scene. Police helicopters were also circling overhead. A white man alleged by the crowd to be a far-right protester was carried to safety by a black man as animosity was briefly set aside outside the station. Pictures showed the white man clutching his head as the black man carried him over his shoulders, flanked by police in riot gear. The white man had been set upon on the steps leading to the Royal Festival Hall in central London and badly beaten before other protesters stepped in to protect him, Reuters journalists at the scene said. About 20 people were injured during Saturday's clashes. Six officers suffered minor injuries after "pockets of violence" were directed towards the Metropolitan Police during the far-right protests in central London, the force said. In a statement, Met Commander Bas Javid said: "Thousands have travelled to London despite being asked not to and some of those have been intent on causing harm. "We understand why people want to express their concerns and have worked hard to keep people safe. Many people have complied with these conditions, and have listened to officers during the day, and have behaved as we have requested in order to keep them safe. A number of people have not followed these conditions, putting officers, and others' safety at risk. There have been pockets of violence directed towards our officers. This is completely unacceptable and I condemn those involved."
By around 5.30 pm, 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. More than 100 people have been arrested during Saturday's far-right protest in London for offences including violent disorder, assaulting police officers possession of an offensive weapon, possession of class A drugs, being drunk and disorderly and breach of the peace, Scotland Yard said. Boris Johnson, who has been accused of stoking tensions, waited until almost 7.30 pm to condemn the violence that began many hours earlier just yards from his home in Downing Street but didn't single out any groups as he tweeted: "Racist thuggery has no place on our streets. Anyone attacking the police will be met with the full force of the law. These marches & protests have been subverted by violence and breach current guidelines. Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality."
Labour leader Sir Keir Stamer broke his silence about 15 minutes later but did not cite racism or single out any groups. He tweeted: "Any violence against our police is completely unacceptable. No ifs, no buts. Today’s protests in London were led by that intent on causing violence and sowing hate for their own ends. We must not let them win."
Meanwhile, MP Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to PC Palmer as he lay dying after being stabbed to death in the grounds Parliament by Khalid Masood in 2017, said the image of the man urinating next to the memorial was "abhorrent". The Tory MP for Bournemouth East and chairman of the Defence Select Committee tweeted a picture of the man and wrote: "Absolute shame on this man. Of all the images to emerge over these few testing days, I find this one of most abhorrent. Please help identify him."
Home Secretary Priti Patel has condemned the "desecration" of the memorial dedicated to PC Palmer. In a media clip, she said: "We are in an unprecedented public health emergency, and I have said every single day, as have the police around the country and in London, that these protests, these gatherings, are illegal and we have been discouraging them. Secondly, we have seen a small minority behave in extreme thuggery and violent behaviour today. That is simply unacceptable and the individuals that are basically putting the safety of our police officers and the safety of the public at risk will expect to face the full force of the law. We have seen some shameful scenes today, including the desecration of PC Keith Palmer's memorial in Parliament, in Westminster square, and quite frankly that is shameful, that is absolutely appalling and shameful. And I think, you know, my final remark very much is is that we live in a tolerant country but racism, any form of intolerance and violence is simply not acceptable."
The Metropolitan Police Federation chairman, Ken Marsh, condemned the "disorder and unruliness", and suggested the man pictured urinating next to the memorial should be sent to prison. He said: "It's horrendous. The man urinating next to Keith Palmer's memorial is disgusting. A faction of people today [Saturday] only had one intention - to be violent and unlawful, they didn't come here to protect the statues, it's just disorder and unruliness. I suggest serious custodial sentences in relation to assaults on police and others, criminal damage and urinating next to the memorial of heroes."
Senior Tory MP Rob Halfon described the behaviour of a protester seen urinating by the memorial to PC Palmer as "horrific". Mr Halfon, the chair of the Commons Education Committee, said he hoped the perpetrator was tracked down and jailed. "This is just so horrific. I hope they find this individual and lock them up and throw away the key," he said.
"This is not the kind of country we are. I feel every possible good wish to the family of PC Palmer, who did so much to keep us safe."
The violent scenes during the far-right protest are in contrast with peaceful demonstrations that took place at Hyde Park and Marble Arch by anti-racism protesters in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The violence has been condemned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Ms Patel, with the latter branding it as "thoroughly unacceptable thuggery". On Friday, statues in Parliament Square including Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi were boarded up to prevent them from being targeted by protesters both from the Black Lives Matter movement and far-right groups. Ms. Patel was asked whether the boarding up of statues was the right approach to take, and she said: "Well, I think from an operational perspective the police and others have to make their decisions and the choices in terms of protecting war memorials and protecting statues. Let's not forget last weekend we saw a range of statues that were torn down, and we saw quite frankly appalling scenes and the desecration of war memorials as well. So they have taken protective measures and that is absolutely right. But I think, you know, my overriding message is is that we have seen violence in these gatherings today. That violence of thuggery by a small minority is absolutely unacceptable. We've seen another desecration of a memorial today, the memorial of Pc Keith Palmer a man that gave his life to protect people. I just think that is utterly shameful. And as I've said, my message to everybody is please do not participate in these gatherings. They are illegal. There is a health emergency on right now. And quite frankly, the individuals that are perpetrating violence, thuggery, and this shameful behaviour, should expect to face the full force of the law."
The Metropolitan Police warned people joining demonstrations on Saturday that they must be off the streets by 5 pm or risk being arrested. There were similar gatherings on Saturday in Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle, Brighton, and Bristol with crowds massing around monuments. A group calling itself “Defenders of Newcastle†and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed in that city, where at least 11 people were arrested. Smoke flares and missiles were hurled between the two groups, ChronicleLive reports. As parts of the city centre were locked down, a line of police officers separated them as the counter-protesters claimed to be defending Grey’s Monument, which had earlier been listed on the crowdsourced “Topple the Racists†map. Charles Grey was the PM whose government oversaw the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. BLM protester Namwila Mulwanda was “very confused†by the counter-protesters. She told ChronicleLive: “Every single thing that we have put up has been peaceful. There have been accusations about us trying to cause damage to certain properties, we haven’t said anything about that, we haven’t even planned to do that. They’ve come out, they’ve been shouting ‘white lives matter’, ‘all lives matter’ that is not what we are contesting, we are just trying to say black lives need to matter too.â€
Fights broke out at the Cenotaph in Bristol city centre as several hundred people gathered. Protesters held up ‘All Lives Matter’ banners, but denied they were far-right supporters. Demonstrators at the Cenotaph later shouted, “Scum†and “Fascists†at supporters of Black Lives Matter. They also sang repeatedly “There’s only one Winston Churchill†and then erupted into a rendition of God Save the Queen.
Avon and Somerset Police said around 300 people attended the demonstration, with two arrests made. In Brighton, more than 1,000 protesters formed a line along the seafront in a Black Lives Matter demonstration. A Sussex Police spokesman said: "A Black Lives Matter protest event in Brighton city centre on Saturday, which was attended by more than 10,000 people, passed off peacefully. There were no arrests."
Protests against police brutality and racism have erupted all over the UK and across the globe following the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police nearly three weeks ago. Last week, the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and dumped into Bristol harbour by anti-racism protesters, while the UK's war-time Prime Minister memorial in London was defaced with the words "was a racist". The UK Protests in support of Black Lives Matter have largely been peaceful, although some have been marred by acts of violence towards police by a comparatively small group of people. But these attacks on officers and criminal damage on statues have lasted no more than a couple of hours, mostly towards the end of rallies.
