London police break up 10,000-strong anti-lockdown rally, Latest World News - The New Paper
World

London police break up 10,000-strong anti-lockdown rally

This article is more than 12 months old

LONDON: The police said they arrested 10 people, and four officers were injured as they broke up a thousands-strong demonstration against British coronavirus restrictions on Saturday.

Skirmishes broke out as officers moved in with batons to disperse the more than 10,000 protesters gathered in central Trafalgar Square who were not sticking to infection control measures, the Metropolitan Police said on Twitter.

"Four of our officers have been injured, two require hospital treatment," the Met wrote.

A dozen officers were injured in a similar protest last week.

Among the Saturday crowd was Mr David Icke, a prominent conspiracy theorist who has drawn attention in the past by suggesting that the world is secretly governed by reptilian humanoids.

The virus has claimed 42,000 lives in the country so far - Europe's highest toll.

Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government imposed a ban on gatherings of more than six people and ordered pubs and restaurants to close at 10pm in a bid to slow the spread. - AFP

WORLD