UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that those responsible for violence during anti-racism protests in London will be held accountable.
Clashes broke out at the tail end of what were peaceful protests on Sunday as a small number of protesters tussled with police.
Thousands of protesters had garthered for a second day in London, as well as cities across the UK including Bristol, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Protests were generally peaceful, as demonstrators flooded the roads outside the US embassy in south London, before marching towards Parliament Square and Downing Street.
But there were some disturbances, leading to 12 arrests in London, the majority for public order offences and one for criminal damage. Police say fourteen officers were injured.
Glass bottles, traffic cones and fireworks were thrown at lines of police along Whitehall and in parliament square, the political heart of the UK.
“We want to be treated the same way that you lot are treated, we want to be treated with the same respect. Until you give us that this shit does not stop.”
Earlier in Bristol, protesters had used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader, who has been a source of controversy in the city for many years.
Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.
On his death in 1721, he bequeathed his wealth to charities and his legacy can still be seen on Bristol’s streets, memorials and buildings.
”People have a right to protest peacefully & while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police. These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery – and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account.
‘The protests in Britain have been “subverted by thuggery and are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve, which is to condemn police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis” Prime minister Boris Johnson said.
