[ad_1]
More than 150 people have been arrested after anti-blockade protesters reached central London.
As of 7 p.m. Saturday, police had detained 155 people for a series of crimes that included violating coronavirus restrictions, assaulting a police officer and possession of drugs.
A man, dressed as Santa, was filmed being escorted through the crowd by a swarm of officers.
Viewer Samatha Hurst told the Standard: “The atmosphere seemed peaceful for a while and then once the police arrested people it seemed to increase.
“I could not believe what I was seeing”.
Scotland Yard said police had made a series of “early interventions” to prevent people from gathering together and urging them to go home.
As part of this, the buses transporting the protesters to the capital were intercepted and those who did not return and returned to their homes were arrested or issued with fixed sanction notices, the force said.
Police clashed with protesters during the heated action
/ REUTERS )Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who oversaw the action, said: “This was a challenging day for officers from the British Transport Police, the City of London and the Met and I would like to thank you for the professionalism you have shown throughout the day.
“On Friday, we made it very clear how we would handle this event, warning those who wanted to attend that they risked police action if they attended a meeting in London.
“Today’s law enforcement action is the direct result of those individuals deliberately violating the law and, at times, attacking our officers and causing disruptions to the road network.
“Our surveillance plan will continue well into the night and I ask anyone who has not dispersed to go home.”
The activists marched from Hyde Park to Oxford Circus and Regent Street, colliding with helmeted policemen who arrived in several vans and ran to respond to the chaos.
Officers confronted people on the ground in an attempt to arrest them in different locations as bystanders taunted and filmed on their phones.
At one point, green smoke was released when protesters were surrounded by police at the top of Carnaby Street.
The main crowd of protesters appeared to disperse near Piccadilly Circus before reforming into another part of the business district.
The protesters, including some dressed as Christmas elves, brandished signs that read “All I want for Christmas is my freedom back,” “Get rid of the masks” and “Stop controlling us.”
Several people were handcuffed by officers, while the police action was met with boos when protesters, many of them without face masks, ignored requests to go home.
Responding to the scenes, Interior Minister Priti Patel said: “We have seen our police officers once again do an incredible job of ensuring that they help stop the spread of this terrible virus.
“The people who are protesting today have been doing it for many months and we have seen it on successive weekends.”
She added: “We ask everyone to be conscientious, we all know the regulations and guidance, we have implemented these measures to save lives and prevent preventable deaths.”
Police lined the streets around Oxford Circus
/ Pennsylvania )The protest is not a permitted exemption to the ban on gatherings under current regulations on the coronavirus in England and those attending risk enforcement actions by officers, the Metropolitan Police had warned before the weekend.
The grassroots group Save Our Rights UK, which says it is working for democracy, appeared to be leading the protest, called Unite For Freedom – Time For Action.
The group used their Twitter account throughout the afternoon to encourage people to head to places in central London.
Rights groups Liberty and Big Brother Watch argued that the right to safely protest should be explicitly described as an exemption in regulations covering England’s tiered restrictions, which take effect next week.
