Analysis
Public order: policing another anti-Lockdown protest
Has the impetus of visible support on the street for the anti-Lockdown protests started to disappear?Chris Hobbs walks alongside the TSG serials to gauge the mood and tactics on both sides during yet another demonstration
It was a difficult decision; whether to remain at home in the warm and enjoy the feast of football due throughout the day, or go into central London and observe the scheduled anti-Lockdown protest which was the second in just three days.
Obtaining accurate accounts in respect of these protests can prove difficult without actually being there. Those allied to the protesters inevitably claim outrageous police heavy handedness and brutality while the main stream media tend simply to focus on the number of arrests.
I decided to venture forth after hitting the record buttons and on arrival at Marble Arch, the Met seemed to have the situation well in hand. Significant numbers of officers could be seen chatting to potential protesters and moving them on, to the extent that any form of meaningful protest seemed unlikely.
As a typical Londoner, I’d never fully explored the delights of Hyde Park and this seemed a good opportunity as it looked as if the protest would simply not take place. A trek across to the Serpentine revealed noticeable numbers of individuals, couples and families all enjoying a break from the miseries of Covid with most scrupulously keeping to social distancing guidelines.
A return walk back in the direction of Speaker’s Corner’ revealed a dramatic change in the situation. Somehow, the protesters had, despite the police presence, managed to group up and, now about 200 strong, were marching across the grass.
Instructions from an individual with a megaphone, were clearly audible with the tactic seemingly to close ranks and move in a protective circle. This, in fact, looked potentially quite effective in the same way that flocks of birds or shoals of fish gather together and move as one in order to thwart predators.
The predators, in the form of officers in high viz jackets, were in pursuit and they were followed in turn by a serial of purposeful TSG officers moving in unison. The protesters however reached the Bayswater Road as the police caught up with the march which then turned right heading back to Speakers Corner.
Corbyn arrested again.
At this point the march had lost its tight formation and officers were stopping and talking to some protesters with several arrests being made. This clearly had an effect and the protesters now found themselves in smaller, disparate groups. One group of about 30 walked up Oxford Street followed by several officers and then a TSG carrier.
Another, consisting of around 20, walked along Park Lane and had clearly decided enough was enough in that they kept on walking.
On returning to the paved area just outside Speakers Corner, a small group seemed to be focussing on a particular incident. Closer inspection revealed that they were witnessing the arrest of the country’s premier Covid denier – Piers Corbyn.
Photo credit: Crime Scene Images
Two mounted officers watched over proceedings with one asking GT (Met police control) where the prisoner transport was as the crowd was growing. This saw additional officers arrive as did police transport in the form of a carrier. Officers walked Corbyn the 60 or so metres to the carrier accompanied by a jeering crowd before being he was driven away.
Interestingly Piers Corbyn would also appear to have been the instigator of a central London New Year’s Eve protest in defiance of the government’s appeal for people not to congregate and comply with the Covid regulations.
Whilst the Embankment was heavily policed on the night, social media directed protesters to the area of the South Bank and indeed it appears that it was these protesters who congregated outside St Thomas’s Hospital intimidating both staff and patients resulting in outrage from one of the doctors who witnessed the demonstration having just completed his shift.
He was clearly angry that the protesters chanted that Covid is some sort of hoax which is, of course, a view held by Mr. Corbyn himself. One piece of footage from New Year’s Eve shows Corbyn and other protesters pushing through a thin line of police.
Live feed coverage appears to show protesters ‘celebrating’ the arrival of 2021 in a South Bank park before being ushered across Waterloo Bridge by a small number of police. They then made their way to Trafalgar Square, which had earlier seen a number of police carriers parked up. On this occasion the rowdy protesters were initially met by two police officers.
This may have been due to police resources being diverted to a large fight just after midnight, in nearby Edgware Road which resulted in two stabbings and a third injury to a female, all of which required hospitalisation.
Further Anger
Corbyn caused further anger amongst the police community when he appeared to endorse behaviour by a large number of youths at a summer White City block party where police were forced to retreat. They later returned with reinforcements to end the event.
The arrest of Corbyn on this occasion led to a further congregation of protesters by the Speaker’s Corner Coffee House. Two serials of police marched up from Speakers Corner and some protesters moved through the exit the led from the park to the footway before watching events by leaning over the railings.
Police then made, what appeared to be an innocuous arrest of a female. As she was being handcuffed, she wriggled free and ran. She only managed a few metres before being tackled to the floor by another officer. This incensed the crowd, some of whom rushed towards the officers but other officers were quickly on the scene with a couple drawing batons.
Those protesters on the other side of the fencing were, by this stage chanting, ‘paedophile protectors’ and ‘if you wear a yellow jacket you’re a c*nt.’ After a few minutes, TSG officers walked towards the gate and the group decided to rapidly move away with some running along Park Lane towards Hyde Park Corner. After a few minutes spent on the now near deserted footway, the TSG officers returned to the park.
Later, on social media, there were the usual allegations as to police brutality. Claims were made that the girl was as young as 14 and that she was ‘attacked’ by police who were racist in that she was black.
In fact, footage of incident showed that she was masked and hooded and it would have been impossible to determine her age. Interestingly, some of the protesters were also masked, presumably to hide their identity rather than as a concession to this deadly virus.
In all, the media reported 17 arrests while another protest is planned for this coming Saturday.
Given that previous rallies in Trafalgar Square during the summer had attracted crowds of thousands, rather like Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the impetus in terms of visible support on the streets seems to have been lost.
Nevertheless, they are a drain on police resources and perhaps there is an argument for other offences involving incitement by protest leaders to be considered or, if not applicable, for further regulation to be imposed over and above the £10,000 fine which could be raised simply by means of crowd-funding.
In the meantime, doubtless any anti-Lockdown protest next Saturday will resemble Groundhog Day for many of the Met’s public order trained officers.
Final word
Having now observed a number of these protests, I’m still at a loss as to why the Met and other forces, don’t, given the current situation and complex, ever changing regulations, use megaphones and loudspeakers to convey to protesters and other members of the public who may be present; information, regulations and laws together with warnings.
Chris Hobbs is a retired Met officer who worked in Special Branch
Category: Ops
Tags: Government PolicyLondonMetropolitan Police ServicePublic OrderPublic Protection
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