Anti-lockdown protesters chanting ‘freedom’ clash with police
At least 15 arrested after anti-lockdown protesters chanting ‘freedom’ clash with police as hundreds march through streets of Bournemouth, Liverpool and Basildon fight against Covid restrictions
- More than a dozen demonstrators arrested during protests in Livepool today while four detained in London
- Rallies were also held in Bournemouth and Basildon, with protesters seen clashing with police in the street
- The UK today recorded 391 new hospital coronavirus deaths in the highest Saturday increase since May 2
At least 19 people have today been arrested after anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police when hundreds took to the streets in a fight against coronavirus restrictions.
Rallies were held in Bournemouth, London and Liverpool this afternoon, where a growing crowd chanted ‘freedom’ as they marched through the city centre in the rain.
The group in Merseyside were shepherded by police, who later moved in to make arrests, with some demonstrators seen being pepper sprayed as they grappled with officers on the ground.
It is thought that the protest began at 1pm and started with around 100 people gathered on Church Street before the group grew significantly in size.
More than a dozen people were arrested during the demonstration in Liverpool, Merseyside Police confirmed.
Those detained were held on suspicion of breaching public order and Covid-19 rules and the force has implemented a dispersal zone in the city centre until tomorrow.
There were similar scenes on the south coast, with social distancing nowhere to be seen as activists marched through the seaside town of Bournemouth, holding placards reading ‘freedom’ and ‘the pandemic is over’.
Elsewhere, in Basildon, Essex, footage captured police clash with protesters amid a ‘large unauthorised gathering’ in the town centre.
The protest, which breached the Government’s Covid-19 measures, led to several arrests after ‘attempts to engage with those attending were unsuccessful’, Essex Police said.
Officers have put a dispersal order in place within the boundaries of Great Oaks and Southernhay, with the force adding: ‘We know this is a challenging time but we all have a responsibility to follow the regulations and keep each other safe.’
It comes as Britain today recorded 391 new hospital deaths in the highest Saturday increase since May – up 21 since last Saturday.
A man is arrested and pepper sprayed at a large anti lockdown protest in Liverpool today that saw hundreds march around the streets of the city
Police wearing face coverings restrain one of the protesters at the large rally in the rain through Liverpool city centre today
A protester is arrested by police officers for taking part in a demonstration against the second national lockdown in London
A man is arrested by two officers during the demonstration in the drizzle in Liverpool city centre earlier this afternoon
Police grapple with a protester on the ground as crowds of others watch on during a day of demonstrations in Liverpool
A man comes face to face with a police officer as scenes turned ugly during an anti-lockdown protest in Liverpool today
A man is arrested and pepper sprayed at a large anti lockdown protest in Liverpool today that saw hundreds march around the streets of the city
Rallies were also held in London, where Metropolitan Police confirmed four were arrested for breach of Covid-19 regulations after gathering at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park.
Officers confirmed those detained today remained in custody while the ‘remainder of the crowd have been dispersed’.
Michael Walsh, of the Central West Command Unit, said: ‘We take reports of breaches of Covid-19 restrictions seriously.
‘We are still in a pandemic and it is extremely selfish of a small minority of people to carry on without regard for the regulations.’
Chief Superintendent Ngaire Waine, of Merseyside Police, said: ‘The vast majority of people in Merseyside have made huge sacrifices since March, missing weddings, funerals and family celebrations in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus.
‘We have seen infection rates driven down in Merseyside thanks to the commitment of so many people, and already more than 140,000 have taken part in a mass testing pilot here in Merseyside to help the national effort to protect life and get back to normality. They are a credit to this county.
‘So it will be incredibly frustrating for all those people to see that a minority of selfish individuals chose to flout laws brought in to protect the lives of people, putting our communities and themselves at risk.
‘Their actions have posed a significant risk to public health and we will continue to study CCTV and bodycam to identify offenders and bring them to justice.
‘We have arrested 15 people so far and dispersed many more. Our officers – deployed to encourage people to do the right thing and to carry out enforcement to protect the public – have been subjected to mindless abuse from many of those gathered, but continued to carry out their duties with complete professionalism.’
She added: ‘This pandemic has, understandably, left many fearful of contracting and passing on coronavirus. The sight of a large group in the city centre will alarm many who are now well aware of the risk large groups can pose to the spreading of this virus.
It comes as Britain today recorded 391 new hospital deaths in the highest Saturday increase since May – up 21 since last Saturday
Rallies were today held in London, where Metropolitan Police confirmed four were arrested for breach of Covid-19 regulations after gathering at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park
Officers confirmed those detained today remained in custody while the ‘remainder of the crowd have been dispersed’. Pictured: A man is arrested in London
Anti-lockdown protester gestures to police officers during the march through the town centre today
A man is restrained by police officers during the rally in which people marched through Liverpool shouting ‘freedom’
In England 316 people who tested positive for coronavirus were confirmed to have died in the past 24 hours, while in Scotland there were 37 deaths and in Wales the toll rose by 28. Pictured: Bournemouth today
Social distancing nowhere to be seen as activists marched through the seaside town of Bournemouth today, holding placards reading ‘freedom’ and ‘the pandemic is over’
An anti-lockdown protester holds up a sign saying ‘The Pandemic is Over’ during the rally in Bournemouth this afternoon
An activist holds up a sign saying ‘freedom’ during the anti-lockdown march in the seaside town of Bournemouth this afternoon
Social distancing was nowhere to be seen as the group made their way through Bournemouth town centre to take action
In Basildon, Essex, footage captured police clash with protesters amid a ‘large unauthorised gathering’ in the town centre
‘We introduced a Section 34 Dispersal Zone in the city centre, and deployed significant resources into the city to ensure we could deal with this gathering, encouraging those involved to disperse and taking enforcement action against those committing flagrant breaches of covid legislation – particularly those suspected to have organised the gathering.
‘Their actions have posed a significant risk to public health, and we will continue to study CCTV and bodycam to identify offenders and bring them to justice.’
In England 316 people who tested positive for coronavirus were confirmed to have died in the past 24 hours, while in Scotland there were 37 deaths and in Wales the toll rose by 28.
In Northern Ireland a further ten deaths were recorded.
Meanwhile, it has been suggested quarantine times for contacts of Covid-19 cases could be halved to just a week or eliminated entirely under a pilot testing trial.
Crowds of protesters marched through Bournemouth on a dreary afternoon to oppose the government’s Covid restrictions
An anti-lockdown protester is seen in a Guy Fawkes mask as the march in Bournemouth heads through the town centre
Large numbers of protesters face police at a large anti lockdown protest in Liverpool today that saw hundreds march around the streets of the city
Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters march through the streets of Bournemouth today amid demonstrations across the UK
Rapid tests which can give results in just 15 minutes will be handed to emergency workers in Liverpool next week, to ensure that if one tests positive the rest of their team will not have to self-isolate.
In today’s figures, patients who died of coronavirus in England were aged between 28 and 102. All except five, aged between 64 and 96, had known underlying health conditions and the deaths occured between June 3 and November 20.
Twenty-two other deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result. It means the total number of confirmed deaths reported in hospitals to 38,112, according to NHS England.
The total number of deaths was the highest Saturday increase since May 2 when 469 deaths were reported.
Last Saturday, November 14, the death toll increased by 370. It means today’s figure is a rise of 5.7 per cent on last week. On the previous Saturday, November 7, there were 366 fatalities recorded.
It comes as rapid tests will be given to contacts of people infected with the virus who have been stuck at home for more than seven days, with those who get a negative result released from quarantine.
If the mass testing pilot proves successful, it could be rolled out across the whole of the UK. But this isn’t expected to get the green light until next year at the earliest.
