Police arrest more than 100 after London Black Lives Matter protests
(dpa)
London - More than 100 arrests were made after thousands of Black Lives Matter and far-right protesters rallied in London on Saturday despite calls for them to stay away, the Metropolitan Police said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested that much of the violence came from the right-wing counter-protesters, who were separated from the Black Lives Matter protesters by barriers and police lines.
The police said the protests were largely peaceful with "pockets of violence directed towards [police] officers."
Those arrested were accused of offences including "violent disorder," assault on the police, possession of a weapon, possession of drugs and drunkenness.
"Racist thuggery has no place on our streets," Johnson tweeted.
"These marches and protests have been subverted by violence and breach current [coronavirus social distancing] guidelines," he said.
"Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality," Johnson added.
More protests were planned on Sunday after rallies in at least a dozen British towns and cities on Saturday, including Newcastle, Bristol, Chelmsford, Canterbury and Brighton, where an estimated 10,000-plus Black Lives Matters protesters marched along the seafront.
The protesters defied Johnson's call on Friday to end the movement. He claimed Black Lives Matter protests had been "hijacked by extremists intent on violence."
The bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England's first black female bishop, backed Saturday's protests.
"We would have liked not to be gathering in a pandemic, but this is really important," Hudson-Wilkin told Black Lives Matter protesters in Canterbury.
The police said the protests were largely peaceful with "pockets of violence directed towards [police] officers."
Those arrested were accused of offences including "violent disorder," assault on the police, possession of a weapon, possession of drugs and drunkenness.
"Racist thuggery has no place on our streets," Johnson tweeted.
"These marches and protests have been subverted by violence and breach current [coronavirus social distancing] guidelines," he said.
"Racism has no part in the UK and we must work together to make that a reality," Johnson added.
More protests were planned on Sunday after rallies in at least a dozen British towns and cities on Saturday, including Newcastle, Bristol, Chelmsford, Canterbury and Brighton, where an estimated 10,000-plus Black Lives Matters protesters marched along the seafront.
The protesters defied Johnson's call on Friday to end the movement. He claimed Black Lives Matter protests had been "hijacked by extremists intent on violence."
The bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England's first black female bishop, backed Saturday's protests.
"We would have liked not to be gathering in a pandemic, but this is really important," Hudson-Wilkin told Black Lives Matter protesters in Canterbury.
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