Yahoo News What we know about the St George's Day marches which turned violent
The Met Police said six people were arrested after disorder broke out at St George’s Day marches in London.
Watch: Six arrests made as St George’s Day event held in Whitehall
Police have made several arrests following a St George’s Day rally that was marred by violence.
Attendees waved St George’s Cross flags and listened to speeches on Tuesday, as crowds gathered to mark the patriotic day in central London. But the Metropolitan Police said “far-right groups and groups linked to football clubs” had also been expected to attend.
There was a large police presence as groups gathered on Whitehall opposite Downing Street following several incidents.
What we know
The Met Police confirmed that six people were arrested during the marches on Tuesday. Four arrests were made outside a pub in Whitehall – one on suspicion of assault and three on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, the force said.
Earlier, a man was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after “a police horse was targeted on Whitehall”. Another man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.
Speakers at the event included former English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson and actor Laurence Fox. Robinson, whose real name is whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, attended the march after being cleared of breaching a dispersal order at court earlier in the day.
Videos posted on social media show disorder breaking out and people being detained by officers. An image was shared on X by the Met which shows dozens of officers and multiple police vans near a crowd on a pavement.
Before the event began on Tuesday afternoon, mounted officers on horses had to intervene after disorder broke out. The Met said a group broke through a police cordon that was formed to stop people who had moved past an area in Richmond Terrace, which was allocated for the event.
The force later shared a video on X that appears to show officers forming a cordon but a group, some waving flags and others wearing St George’s flags, pushing past it before two mounted officers on horses intervene.
The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.
There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall.
When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn… pic.twitter.com/mVLOAfm0rO— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 23, 2024
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Whitehall had to close to traffic while police officers dealt with the incident. The Met also enforced a Section 60AA order in the boroughs of Lambeth and Westminster “giving officers the power to require the removal of face coverings”. A Section 60 order, giving officers additional search powers, was also in force in the same area to prevent crime and disorder, the force added.
Security minister Tom Tugendhat condemned the disorder after footage spread on social media. He wrote on X: "These men aren’t patriots. They’re just thugs.”
What we don't know
Police have given details of the arrests but not yet said whether anyone has been charged. We also do not know the identity of those arrested or whether they are part of any “far-right” or “groups linked to football clubs” that the Met had previously said were expected to attend. The force only confirmed the number of arrests to Yahoo News UK.
There is no information on how or why the march ventured out of its allocated area at Richmond Terrace. The force have also not said which groups attended the march.
