London Cops Clash with ‘Resist and Act for Freedom’ Anti-Lockdown Protesters
Police in London have clashed with protesters at a rally organized by opponents of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
Scuffles broke out Saturday as police moved in to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in London’s central Trafalgar Square. Some protesters formed blockades to stop officers from making arrests, and traffic was brought to a halt in the busy area.
The ‘Resist and Act for Freedom’ rally saw dozens of people holding banners and placards such as one reading “This is now Tyranny” and chanting “Freedom!” Police said there were “pockets of hostility and outbreaks of violence towards officers.”
Britain’s Conservative government imposed a ban on all social gatherings of more than six people this week in a bid to tackle a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the country, but officials are considering even stricter restrictions.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that Britain is “now seeing a second wave” of the coronavirus, after seeing the same in France, Spain and across Europe.
In a statement, British police said protesters were “putting themselves and others at risk” and urged all those at the London rally to disperse immediately or risk arrest.
Boris Brings in £10,000 Quarantine Fines as Khan Demands Lockdown
Kurt Zindulka
Starting from September 28th, people in England will face quarantine fines of £1,000, which can rise to £10,000 for repeated breaches of the self-isolation mandates. Those found to have tested positive for the Chinese virus, as well as those who are deemed to be a close contact of someone else who tested positive, will be required to self-isolate.
The move to introduce fines, which will be enforced by police and local authorities, represents a drastic increase in restrictions on the British public.
“So nobody underestimates just how important this is, new regulations will mean you are legally obliged to do so if you have the virus or have been asked to do so by NHS Test and Trace. People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said when announcing the new measures.
“We need to do all we can to control the spread of this virus, to prevent the most vulnerable people from becoming infected, and to protect the NHS and save lives”, Johnson added.
Continuing the trend of government ministers encouraging the public to snitch on their neighbours for supposed breaches of the virus regulations, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that he would call the police to inform on his neighbours for breaking the self-isolation rules.
So far, there have been over 19,000 fines handed out by police in England and Wales for alleged violations of the coronavirus rules, but over half of the fines have not been paid, according to the BBC.
It comes as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called on the government to introduce another lockdown in London and introduce a 10 pm curfew for pubs.
“I am of the firm view that we should not wait, as happened six months ago, for this virus to again spiral out of control before taking action,” the Labour politician said per the Huffington Post.
“The best thing for both public health and the economy is new restrictions imposed early, rather than a full lockdown when it’s too late – but the government must ensure there is a fully functioning testing system,” Khan went on.
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