More than 30 arrested during coronavirus protests in London | UK News

Police have made 32 arrests during a demonstration in central London against coronavirus restrictions and mass vaccinations.

More than a thousand people are estimated to have joined the rally in Trafalgar Square, including 5G conspiracy theorists, coronavirus skeptics and “anti-vaccines.”

The sections clashed with the police: some officers, with their batons drawn, were pushed back by the crowd on the sidelines of the demonstration.

In the early hours of Saturday night, metropolitan police said the area had been cleared.

The force said it attended the Resist and Act for Freedom rally, which started around noon, and tried to encourage protesters to leave throughout the day.

“Despite this, the protesters remained, putting themselves and others at risk,” he said. “It is important to remember that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic and changes have been made to help control the spread of the virus, keep everyone safe and save lives.”

Dozens of officers, including some mounted on horseback, tried to divide the ranks of protesters who had formed human blockades to prevent them from making arrests, with loud cheers and chants as they pushed police, according to the PA news agency.

Meanwhile, others tried to defuse the situation. A man, speaking through a megaphone, said: “Remember that it is about peace. We don’t want hooligans… I’m one of those who started this… So don’t come over now and screw it up. Don’t come to fight with the police now. “

Elsewhere, a group of young people performed a song in front of a line of police officers to ease the situation. “Coronavirus, rebel like Miley Cyrus,” they chanted.

Among the crowd were people selling 5G conspiracy theorizing T-shirts and advocating for the legalization of cannabis, holding banners calling for government scientific advisers to be fired and declaring Covid-19 a “hoax.”

Addressing the crowd with loud applause, organizer and so-called “natural nurse” Kate Shemirani said, “We are the resistance.”

The protest was publicized with an image showing a vaccine vial and urging people to “unite, resist and act.”

The clash occurred several hours after the demonstration when Shemirani asked the men to go to the northwest corner of the square, where the police were beginning to gather.

Aside from the outbreak, the gathering was largely peaceful, with protesters voicing complaints ranging from opposition to coronavirus lockdown measures and masks, to child trafficking and the QAnon conspiracy theory gaining ground in the Kingdom. United.

According to the NHS, vaccination is “the single most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health”, preventing up to three million deaths worldwide each year.

He warned that infectious diseases may spread rapidly if people stop using them, pointing to an increase in measles and mumps cases in 2016 and 2018.

There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism, allergies or other conditions, weaken the immune system in any way, or contain harmful ingredients, the NHS added.

Since Monday, the number of people from various households who can attend social gatherings in England, whether indoors or outdoors, has been reduced to six under the new “rule of six” Covid-19 restrictions.

However, there are a number of exemptions, including protests. To be exempted, protest organizers must take steps that include proving they are a “political body” and completing a comprehensive risk assessment focused on the coronavirus.