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As protesting riot police tried to force the crowd to retreat, some protesters threw bottles and cans at officers. The protesters, who appeared to be mostly white men, chanted “England” and sang the national anthem.
Several groups of far-right activists and soccer fanatics arrived in the UK capital claiming that they seek to protect the historical monuments that became the target of protesters against racism last week.
Many far-right supporters rallied around the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Kenotaf memorial, a memorial to British soldiers killed in wars.
Scanpix / AP photo / Hundreds of people gathered in London for demonstrations
Both monuments had been falsified with plaques by order of the government, for fear that extreme right-wing activists, under the guise of protecting the monuments, would attempt to provoke conflicts with protesters against racism.
Paul Golding, far-right leader Great Britain First, said activists had gathered to “protect their monuments.”
“I am terrified that the government has allowed vandalism against our national monuments for two consecutive weekends,” he told the Press Association.
One of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) groups said it was withdrawing a protest scheduled for Saturday over the presence of far-right activists. Some anti-racist demonstrations took place in the capital, but fewer people gathered.
Monuments around the world have become “hot spots” for demonstrations against racism and police violence caused by the experience of the black George Floydom.
In Britain, these protests sparked a national debate over the empire’s legacy and its role in the slave trade. On Sunday in Bristol, protesters toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston, dragged it into the harbor, and dumped it into the water. In London, the W. Churchill statue was ridiculed for being “racist”.
British Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter on Friday that while some of Churchilli’s thoughts “were and are unacceptable to us today,” the character was a hero.
“We cannot try to edit or censor our past now,” he said.
Scanpix / AP photo / Hundreds of people gathered in London for demonstrations
Police imposed severe restrictions on Saturday to avoid violent clashes. Authorities also fenced other monuments in Parliament Square, including the statues of Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln.
Police Chief Bass Javid urged people not to sail at all, or at least follow the planned route, until 5 p.m. due to the threat of coronavirus. Get off the streets. The disobedient run the risk of being arrested.
Scanpix / AP photo / Hundreds of people gathered in London for demonstrations
Many people were arrested last weekend.
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