Three police officers have been injured and 14 arrests made during an anti-lockdown protest in central London.
The Metropolitan Police said on Twitter that a demonstration in Westminster on Monday afternoon saw traffic blocked and people becoming “obstructive and hostile” towards officers.
The force tweeted that it had deployed officers, including mounted branch units, to respond to demonstrators in Parliament Square and along Whitehall, while it also reported a crowd gathering on Bridge Street.
In a later statement the force said 14 people were arrested “for a variety of offences, including obstructing the highway, public order offences, assaulting an emergency service worker and for breach of bail conditions”.
It said the injuries to three police officers were “not serious”.
Demonstrators in London
Luciana Guerra
The protest comes on the day that Covid-19 restrictions were hoped to be further eased in England before the Government delayed this by up to four weeks amid concern over the Delta variant.
The Met’s statement said: “Throughout the day, officers worked hard to minimise disruption to the Westminster community and to keep traffic and public transport moving.
“Despite this, several people within the demonstration obstructed the roads or became hostile towards police officers.
“The policing operation will continue into the evening, with a number of officers on patrol throughout Westminster.
“Those who continue to gather are urged to comply with Government regulations to prevent further spread of coronavirus.”
