Protesters and
police came face to face outside Downing Street as thousands of people flooded central
London for a Black Lives Matter demonstration in response to the death of George Floyd.
A crowd of demonstrators and officers were involved in brief scuffles, reports suggest, during a stand-off on Wednesday afternoon outside the gates of the prime minister’s residence.
Video posted on
Social Media showed objects being thrown at police and officers scuffling with unidentified people. One reporter at the scene said it happened after police “appeared to take a protester from the crowd”.Yards away,
Boris Johnson was giving a press briefing on the latest
Coronavirus updates.
Asked what his message to
President Trump on behalf of the
protesters outside, he said: “We mourn George Floyd and we are appalled and sickened to him.
“And my message to President Trump and everybody in the
United States, from the UK, is I don’t think
racism and racist violence has any place in our society.”
He added: “I do think people have a right to protest and make their feelings known about injustices such as what happened to George Floyd and I would urge people to protest peacefully and in accordance with the rules on social distancing.”
Tens of thousands of people are taking part in the demonstration, which has so far been overwhelmingly peaceful.It's kicking off now. Unclear exactly what started things. Police appeared to attempt to take a man from the crowd and pandemonium ensued pic.twitter.com/6XPGXV2HKt— Mattha Busby (@matthabusby) June 3, 2020BREAKING - Crowd confronting police outside the gates of Downing Street. Officer punched in the face, numerous objects being thrown at police now. pic.twitter.com/tJ6ZnXUcv6— Mark White (@skymarkwhite) June 3, 2020Protesters throwing plastic bottles as two young men are arrested. #BlackLivesMattterpic.twitter.com/GMGkG4oo5g— Aamna Mohdin (@aamnamohdin) June 3, 2020Scuffle breaks out outside downing Street. Tempers starting to fray but organisers succeeding in calming #BlackLivesMattter Protestors for now. #BlackLivesMattterUK#BLMLDNpic.twitter.com/1hWEu61gdg— James Twomey (@twomey_james218) June 3, 2020Floyd died after a white officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck in Minneapolis on May 25, sparking days of protest in the US.
At the London event on Wednesday, organisers provided masks and gloves to protesters who were asked to sit two metres apart unless they were from the same household.
Protesters were also told to keep their arms stretched out to ensure social distancing when moving around Hyde Park for the protest.
Protesters remained outside Downing Street chanting as a limited amount of traffic passed down Whitehall. Many climbed on to the window ledges of a neighbouring building as others talked with a line of police outside the gates to the street.
More than a dozen officers were inside the gates watching the protesters.
At one point, police have escorted a man to the side of the road who was bleeding from the head, with blood over his clothes and camera.
Later, a crowd of protesters pushed a line of police into Parliament Square, as bottles were thrown in the direction of officers.
Another crowd then followed a group of officers to outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where protesters shouted “answer for your crimes” and “no justice, no peace”.
Officers formed two lines and rested their batons on their shoulders, shouting “get back” to protesters as they separated the crowds.READ MORE: John Boyega Gives Rousing Speech At Socially-Distanced Black Lives Matter Protest In Hyde ParkNaomi Smith, one of the event organisers of the Hyde Park event, told the PA news agency: “We want people to understand that people are dying from coronavirus and people are dying from racism.”
The 21-year-old said one of her reasons for protesting was Belly Mujinga, a railway worker who died with Covid-19 after reportedly being spat at by a man who said he was infected with the virus.
British Transport Police launched an investigation into her death but later said it would not be taking any further action.
Thousands of activists, including members of the railway worker’s family, descended on Victoria Station – where Mujinga was working at the time of the spitting incident – holding a sign that read “Justice for Belly Mujinga”.
“I think that is my main reason for this, because she’s black she doesn’t have a voice right now,” Smith said.
“This is our story, this is a
UK story, this is what’s going on right now with us. George Floyd is in America, and we’re here for him as well.”
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