Dozens of officers injured during Black Lives Matter protests in London as policewoman stable after fall from horse

Ewan Somerville7 June 2020
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A total of 27 police officers were left injured during anti-racism protests in London this week, Met Police has said.

Almost half of these - 14 - occurred during Saturday’s Black Lives Matter protest which was largely peaceful until skirmishes erupted later in the afternoon.

Cressida Dick, Met Police commissioner, on Sunday condemned the attacks as “shocking and completely unacceptable”.

It follows chaos in Whitehall when a police horse bolted after riot police charged at protesters and flares and missiles were hurled at them.

An officer who fell off her horse suffered "quite nasty" injuries but is "stable", Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said.

Police horses charged at the crowds as things became heated
PA

He said: “She’s stable – she has some quite nasty injuries which she sustained. And the horse is fine."

The policewoman suffered a collapsed lung, a broken collarbone and broken ribs after falling to the ground during the melee, according to reports.

Thousands of people descended on the capital for three protests this week over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Video footage showing Mr Floyd, 46, pinned to the ground as a white officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes has sparked a fortnight of unrest in the US and UK.

Dame Cressida said: "I am deeply saddened and depressed that a minority of protesters became violent towards officers in central London yesterday evening.

Police have formed a battle line with hundreds of protesters
AFP via Getty Images

"This led to 14 officers being injured, in addition to 13 hurt in earlier protests this week.

"We have made a number of arrests and justice will follow. I know many who were seeking to make their voices heard will be as appalled as I am by those scenes.

"I would urge protesters to please find another way to make your views heard which does not involve coming out on the streets of London, risking yourself, your families and officers as we continue to face this deadly virus."

AFP via Getty Images

Sadiq Khan said that while the majority of protesters were peaceful, pockets of violence was “simply not acceptable”.

In a statement, the London Mayor said: “The vast majority of protesters in London were peaceful. But this vital cause was badly let down by a tiny minority who turned violent and threw glass bottles and lit flares, endangering other protesters and injuring police officers.

“This is simply not acceptable, will not be tolerated and will not win the lasting and necessary change we desperately need to see.”

More anti-racism demonstrations are planned on Sunday, including a rally outside the US Embassy in Battersea, south-west London, while an estimated 4,000 people are expected at a gathering in Bristol and demonstrations will also be held in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Dame Cressida urged protesters to find “another way” of making their voices heard, rather than descending on the capital’s streets amid the coronavirus crisis.

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