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Eighteen people were arrested and three police officers were injured after protests against the closure in central London.
The protesters made their way through the city with banners and posters, calling for “freedom” and an end to COVID-19 restrictions.
At least two people were brought in handcuffs from Trafalgar Square, while there was also some disturbance on Westminster Bridge as officers tried to disperse the crowd.
Protesters with a large banner outside Buckingham Palace
The Metropolitan Police said three officers suffered minor injuries after clashes with protesters.
The protesters called for an end to the “tyranny” of the new rules amid the pandemic and expressed their opposition to vaccines.
The protests were “complex” and in “various locations in central London,” Police Commander Ade Adelekan said.
While the “vast majority” of people listened to the advice and left the area, a small minority became “obstructive” and “deliberately ignored instructions,” he added.
The organizers did not take “reasonable steps to keep the protesters safe” and therefore “reversed their risk assessment,” Adelekan said.
“One rally in particular drew large numbers of protesters and I became increasingly concerned that those in the crowd were not maintaining social distancing,” he added.
The crowds dispersed in “the interest of public safety,” police said.
People were arrested for raping coronavirus regulations, assaulting an emergency service worker, violent disorder and being wanted.
People gathered in Trafalgar Square
In a 6 p.m. update, the Metropolitan Police said all the crowds had dispersed and 18 arrests had been made.
Police were initially deployed outside Buckingham Palace as crowds of protesters gathered on the steps of the Queen Victoria monument, before heading to Trafalgar Square.
Under current regulations, no one can participate in an outdoor gathering of more than six people unless certain exemptions apply.
Earlier on Saturday, around 50 people gathered in Parliament Square for a protest organized by the Stop Trump Coalition.
A pantomime cow and a group of chlorinated chickens were among the protesters who came out to protest against a proposed trade deal between Britain and the United States.
