Clashes break out at St George’s Day event in central London
Police were forced to intervene as attendees broke through the cordon an hour before the event began.
An event to mark St George’s Day in London has descended into chaos after attendees broke through a cordon and started fighting with police.
A number of groups believed to be linked to football hooligan firms and the far-right travelled across the UK to march on Whitehall today to commemorate St George’s day.
But the Metropolitan Police were forced to intervene as attendees broke through the a barrier an hour before the event began and started attacking officers, prompting the Met to respond by deploying mounted officers to keep the peace.
Footage from the event showed crowds blocking the road while chanting ‘England til I die,’ while one attendee was spotted attacking a police horse with an umbrella.
Other attendees were seen forcing their way through gaps in the cordron while draped in a St George’s flag.
Police previously said the event was due to start at 3pm and ‘must’ end before 5pm.
But following the outburst of violence a Section 60 order was imposed through Lambeth and Westminster which granted police additional powers to perform stop and searches.
An additional order which granted officers the power to require removal of face coverings was also put into effect.
In a statement posted on Twitter at 2pm, the Met said: ‘The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.
‘There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall.
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‘When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.
‘Additional policing resources, including public order officers, will be deployed in the area to deal with any incidents.’
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