Police scatter fourth anti-lockdown march in London | World News

Tens of thousands of people joined a march through central London against coronavirus restrictions on Saturday afternoon, calling for an end to the lockdowns and other measures they described as a threat to civil rights.

Yelling and yelling at people to remove their masks, the protesters marched a winding route through central London, past Oxford Street, Leicester Square and Buckingham Palace, before ending up in Trafalgar Square.

Police ended the protest, the fourth in London so far, shortly before 4pm. In a post on the Metropolitan Police Twitter account, the force said: “The protest under the name ‘Stop the New Normal’ has not complied with the terms of its risk assessment, government guidelines and does not maintain social distancing.

“The officer in charge has now determined that his protest is no longer exempt from the regulations and is an illegal gathering. Now we are telling those who participate in this protest to go away. “

A small group of protesters chose not to disperse and marched towards Westminster Bridge, where the police blocked their way and there were skirmishes. According to the Met, by 5 p.m. there had been 10 arrests related to the rally.

Shortly before the arrests, Louise Creffield, founder of Save Our Rights UK, a campaign group that helped organize the protest, said: “We are very happy, the turnout was phenomenal and we managed to get away with no one being injured. or arrested. It’s really cool to be able to have a voice, and this is the only way we get it. “

The protesters had gathered in Hyde Park around noon, where they heard speeches by Creffield and Piers Corbyn, the older brother of former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn had exhorted protesters to “stop the new normal, save lives,” while Creffield had said: “Today we are in our power and we are not abiding by its rules.

“No matter what they say, no matter what threats they bring, no matter if they try to intimidate us, we are not going to accept it, because we don’t comply with their rules. We don’t listen because we don’t consent. “

Among the protesters who participated was Chloe Toop, 32, a school teacher. “I’m doing it for the next generation, fighting for them,” she said, adding that she was anxious that young people “not have the life that I had when I grew up, not being able to go on vacations or festivals.”

“The children are now afraid to go meet, hug. Social interaction is very important. “

In addition to complaints about face masks and lockdown measures, protesters carried banners and posters against vaccines, Bill Gates and alleged elite child abuse networks, as well as the increasingly popular QAnon conspiracy theory.

An elderly protester, Mike, who refused to give his age or last name, marched with a sign that read: “The confinement is a form of psychological torture and a crime against humanity.”

He said: “There is a virus. It is a virus that kills people. But the effects of it have been exaggerated. The government uses it because it enjoys having control over the people. It didn’t start out that way, but it certainly grew into that. Governments do not necessarily have a single motive about things, they can have a multiplicity of motives. “

As of 6 p.m., the Met said officers had made 18 arrests, for crimes that included violating coronavirus regulations, assaulting an emergency service worker and violent disorder. Three officers suffered minor injuries, police said.

Commander Ade Adelekan, the Met’s gold commander for Saturday, said: “The organizers did not take reasonable steps to keep the protesters safe, which later overturned their risk assessment. At this point, officers took steps to disperse the crowds in the interest of public safety.

“I am grateful that the vast majority of the people listened to the officers and quickly left the area. Frustratingly, a small minority became obstructive, deliberately ignoring the officers’ instructions and blocking Westminster Bridge. “