Two arrested as Black Lives Matter protesters and police clash by Downing Street
Tensions soared outside No.10 just before 6pm, but police said it was a 'peaceful' protest overall.
Police and protesters have been pictured clashing outside Downing Street, as thousands march in London to throw their support behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
Huge crowds of peaceful protesters gathered at Hyde Park on Wednesday afternoon to demand justice for George Floyd and call for an end to systematic racism.
However, tensions soared later in the day outside No. 10 and two men were arrested and taken into custody just before 6pm.
Footage online allegedly shows various objects, including signs and a traffic cone, being thrown at police while one protester is wrestled to the ground and restrained by officers.
Another group of people was filmed climbing on top of a bus outside Downing Street, as Boris Johnson hosted Wednesday’s coronavirus press conference inside.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: ‘As of 1800hrs on Wednesday, 03 June two men have been arrested in relation to the protests in central London.
‘They have both been arrested for assaulting an emergency worker and violent disorder. They have been taken into custody.’
Mass protests have been sparked across the globe by the death of Mr Floyd, an unarmed father who was filmed lying face-down on the road, begging for air with a white officer’s knee on his neck.
Giving an update on today’s protest in London as a whole, Met Police commander Alex Murray said it had been ‘peaceful’ on Twitter.
He wrote: ‘So we can see feelings are running really high today. It’s been a peaceful protest.
‘We’re really grateful for everybody who has been peaceful, and we are committed to working with the people of London to make London a lot safer and to build trust with all communities.’
Aerial footage revealed the scale of the crowd in the capital as the first activists began arriving from 12pm, holding signs that read ‘Black Lives Matter’, ‘Please, I can’t breathe’ and ‘No Justice, No Peace’.
People were reminded to social distance by organisers at the scene, with many seen handing out gloves and masks.
Four police officers guarding security gates were pictured kneeling in honour of Mr Floyd after protesters chanted ‘kneel with us’ earlier in the afternoon.
Star Wars actor John Boyega was also videoed sharing a passionate rallying cry in Hyde Park.
He told demonstrators: ‘We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland.
‘We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence.’
He continued: ‘I’m speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f*** that.
‘Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process, we don’t know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don’t know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we’re going to make sure that won’t be an alien thought to our young ones.’
British police leaders joined together earlier to say they are ‘appalled’ by the death of Mr Floyd and admit there is ‘more to do’ in the UK.
In a statement, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Police Superintendents’ Association said: ‘We stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life. Justice and accountability should follow.’
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