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The protests began quietly, but later in the afternoon a riot broke out. According to Sky News The protesters threw bottles at the police at the scene, who responded by using their batons against the protesters. Both police and protesters have been injured, the newspaper writes.
– I know there is great frustration, but the rules were created to protect the population from a deadly virus. By getting together many people and ignoring social distancing, they risk their own health and that of their loved ones, Police Chief Ade Adelekan tells the AP news agency.
As a result of the further spread of the infection, the government has announced that bars and restaurants will be forced to close at ten at night. In addition, stricter measures will be introduced to use mouth guards and public gatherings of more than 15 people will be prohibited, however, demonstrations have been exempted.
The highest death toll in Europe
At 6pm on Saturday, London police announced that at least four policemen had been injured and 10 people arrested in connection with the demonstrations, according to TT.
“We want to be clear, this protest is no longer exempt from the rules,” London police wrote on Twitter.
Two of the four injured police officers were taken to hospital, according to London police.
This is not the first time that Londoners have protested against the measures. Last week, equally large demonstrations took place in the square, during which several policemen were slightly injured when a small group of participants turned violent. Critics say the government has made a decision without parliamentary approval and that the measures are disproportionate to the magnitude of the coronavirus threat.
Britain has the highest official death toll in Europe with more than 42,000 confirmed deaths. The number of new cases of infection in the country has also increased rapidly in recent weeks. London is particularly hard hit and residents are therefore at risk of even tighter restrictions if negative developments continue.
