Five officers injured, 29 arrested in London anti-lockdown protests

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Five police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested during anti-lockdown protests in Britain on Saturday, ITV reports. Demonstrators had gathered in London to protest against tough new COVID-19 restrictions being imposed to combat a mutant variant of the coronavirus that is believed to be more contagious than the earlier form.

The new COVID-19 variant has mostly been recorded in south-east England and, accordingly, the capital was designated a “Tier 4” area with the hardest restrictions. The new measures came into effect at midnight on Sunday, ITV reports.

Angered at the new measures imposed, hundreds of people took to the famous Oxford and Regents streets in the center of London Saturday, ITV said. Unmasked demonstrators chanted “we demand freedom” and clashed with police on several occasions. Twenty-nine people were arrested, with one man saying “I’m going to keep doing this until we’re free,” as he was taken into police custody.

In a tweet about the protests, the Metropolitan Police said: “We arrested 29 people today following demonstrations across the city. Unacceptably five of our officers were injured – thankfully their injuries are not serious.”

Speaking to reporters following the protests, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised what he described as the “amazing work” of police and their “soft touch” approach to the situation.

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