Another day, another protest

On the day of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral Met officers policed another protest event in London watched by Chris Hobbs

The diatribe against police was in full swing. The message that the proposed Police and Crime Bill was a threat to democracy and democratic protest had long been subsumed into an anti-police rally when, unnoticed by anyone, two black lads on Boris bikes rode into Parliament Square before pausing to survey the scene.

Straddling their bikes, they approached two Met officers standing a few yards from Churchill’s guarded statue. Their question as to what this was all about was responded to and there followed a friendly discussion between the boys and the cops, which seemed in total contradiction to the anti-police rhetoric that was pouring across Parliament Square from the ‘stage’ close by the statue of Nelson Mandela.

The march begins

The march began inauspiciously at Hyde Park Corner. Impromptu speeches allowed the crowd to gather watched by police officers before the protesters set off along Piccadilly at a sedate pace led by the Extinction Rebellion drummers.

Protesters who looked to the left as the ambled along, would have seen massed ranks of ‘kitted out’ TSG officers standing in front of their carriers parked in a side-street. If the Metropolitan Police hierarchy were concerned that on the day of Prince Philip’s funeral, protesters would attempt to create a situation at Buckingham Palace, this was a clear message that such a tactic wouldn’t be tolerated.

At Green Park, entrances that could lead to Buckingham Palace were policed and as the demonstration provided an attraction to the tourists and shoppers at Piccadilly Circus, it appeared that a route had been agreed which would not include the Palace.

Officers marching alongside the right of the procession ensured that a diversion along Pall Mall was not an option and at Trafalgar Square, police carriers and cordons ensured that a further diversion along the Mall to the Palace, was also not a viable proposition.

In fairness to the marchers, there was no attempt and indeed no apparent interest in taking a diversion designed to embarrass the Royal family.

No silence for Prince Philip

Shortly after arriving in Whitehall, the march stopped for a short while and then set off again, surprisingly walking straight past Downing Street before halting for speeches. The time was approaching 3pm as a female speaker made it clear to cheers, that they would not be holding a minute’s silence for ‘f*cking Prince Philip.’

She then began to read a list of names of those ‘murdered by police.’ At this point, I opted to pay my respects at the memorial of PC Keith Palmer remembering that on this day in 1984, PC Yvonne Fletcher was murdered outside the Libyan Embassy.

When I returned, I was informed that the protesters had decided to lay down in the road for ten minutes as a mark of respect for those who were the ‘victims’ of police violence.

As the crowd moved off, I decided to check on the number of marchers; whilst there were other ‘Kill the Bill’ protests in various parts of country, the fact that there were less than one thousand marchers in the capital strongly suggested that the ‘Kill the Bill’ campaign is not becoming a national mass movement of Poll Tax or ‘Stop the War’ proportions. There is however another protest in London on the 1st of May, which, given the significance of the date, should attract a much-improved attendance.

A perfect day

As the marchers filed into Parliament Square, the scene was almost perfect for a rally with clear blues skies and sunshine which was becoming warm. A reasonable sound system ensured that those now sitting on the grass would have no trouble hearing every syllable uttered by the long line of speakers.

However, it seemed little time was wasted picking over the numerous issues that feature in the bill. After brief references to the potential restrictions on protests, it became clear that the main focus of most speakers would be the police. Many speeches strongly resembled those heard at previous Black Lives Matter protests. The figure of 1,700 victims of murderous police brutality was frequently quoted with no qualifying reference at all to the fact that most tragic victims died in circumstances where there was absolutely no police restraint or other form of force.

‘Racist’ stop and search featured prominently with one speaker asserting that each stop and search was in fact a sexual assault carried out for the perverse gratification of officers.

Officers goaded

Despite the content of the speeches, the majority of the crowd were content to cheer and applaud without showing any direct hostility towards police. A small minority however were showing little interest in the speeches and more interest in drinking whilst periodically goading officers.

They were a mixture of anarchists and those the worse for drink and included one inebriated individual in a grey tracksuit who hurled insults at police through his own loud megaphone. Two of this group, dressed in black, took a great delight in approaching officers before filming them at uncomfortably close quarters. I saw one of these individuals filming a female officer who was one of several protecting Churchill’s statue.

After he had moved on, I chatted to the officer in question who had earlier been approached by a female protester and asked how she would feel if she had been raped by a male colleague. The narrative appeared to be that all male officers were misogynist predators.

It seems to now be a feature of protests that officers stationed on ‘fixed points’ around Churchill’s statue are singled out for abuse and insults. Their response can only be to stand impassively still and stare straight ahead.

Anarchist’s march

As the rally drew to an end and people drifted away, there was a burst of activity from the anarchists and their allies who moved as group across the road, followed by a serial of TSG officers who had clearly anticipated such an eventuality.

The anarchists walked past a well defended Scotland Yard then turned left into Whitehall and towards Trafalgar Square. Their conversations clearly indicated that they were determined to avoid the fate of other activists two weeks previously who had been ‘kettled’ and arrested.

In fact, as they walked up the Charing Cross Road, it became clear that the vast crowds enjoying their first Saturday night out in months, would ensure that such a tactic was unlikely.

The anarchists, now numbering around 60, plus the legal observers, blocked the road as they walked before taking a left turn into Oxford Street. Part of the way along Oxford Street, their police escort surprisingly vanished. It was then a left into Regent Street and on to a very busy Piccadilly.

Haymarket confrontation

If the police tactic was to leave them to their own devices believing they would do little harm and eventually run out of energy, it seemed to be effective until the group turned into the Haymarket, still holding up traffic which was following at a snail’s pace. Horns were being sounded and leading the irate motorists was an SUV. One anarchist stood in front of it stopping it completely, at which point an irate black guy left the vehicle and was totally unphased by the group confronting him.

Some in the group tried to convince the male that their cause was in fact his cause but he was having none of it. His companion also left the vehicle and it seemed at one stage that matters could take a turn for the worse. The anarchists however, despite the odds being on their side, decided that the justifiable anger of the occupants of the SUV did not match their own. They moved out of the way and allowed the vehicle to proceed but promptly closed ranks again preventing those rather more timid motorists from following suit.

Eventually, the group reached Trafalgar Square where they held some sort of meeting with the so-called legal observers who had followed their every step. The meeting went on for some time and I decided enough was enough.

As I walked down to Charing Cross station, I spotted a flat out drunk. It was our abusive friend with the megaphone who’d been goading officers at Parliament Square. I did check to see that he was breathing; he was and then left in the hope that someone would put his megaphone, which was protruding from a blue bag, to better use.

As for the two teenagers, hopefully if they hear police being vilified by friends or school mates, they will be able to say at the very least, that they are not all bad.

Chris Hobbs is a retired Met officers who worked in Special Branch and is observing the London lockdown protests on behalf of Police Oracle

Category: Ops

Tags: LegislationLondonMetropolitan Police ServicePublic OrderPublic ProtectionYouth Engagement