A chaotic promotional stunt in London organised by two streetwear brands has sparked fury on social media with people calling the Met Police ‘weak’ after hundreds of schoolchildren caused chaos in the capital trying to get their hands on free clothes.
After seeing adverts on Instagram for a ‘free pop up’ by brands Poser London and Up In Flames, hoards of teenagers descended on Carnaby Street in Soho on Saturday.
Footage from the event shows dense crowds gathered around a van as people threw bags of free clothes for people to catch and take home for free.
However, things took a turn for the worst when the crowd swarmed police patrol vehicles, as at least 10 boys, some wearing stolen police uniforms, hijacked an emergency vehicle in Broadwick Street.
One yob could even be heard shouting: ‘f*** the feds’, whilst another, wearing a yellow Met jacket and a black police flat clap could be seen scavenging through a police car before jumping back on top of the vehicle, seemingly leading the crowd.
Furious Met Police officers swooped on the scene at around 12pm, with hundreds of children sent fleeing through Soho after the sound of sirens brought the stunt to an abrupt close.
Police confirmed that the vehicle had suffered damage and that contents from inside had been stolen.
Two boys under the age of 16 have been arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage and affray. They have since been bailed.
After the footage was posted to social media, people took to the comment to voice their opinions on the incident and the police’s handling of it.
On X, one wrote: ‘The police are now reaping what they sow. Well done for being so weak!’
‘Need to bring in the army and sort these animals out,’ another said.
Former police Met Police officer of 30 years and policing commentator, Graham Wettone, said: ‘Exceptionally challenging to manage & police – minimal information or intelligence on numbers or mood of those attending.
‘Almost impossible to resource for policing & another challenging day for public order officers in London – again.’
Others hit out at the parents of the children who attended, with one writing: ‘Punish the parents.’
Another posted: ‘What you’re seeing in this video from London yesterday is the result of parental neglect, entitlement, and sheer stupidity fuelled by so-called “influencers” who push reckless ideas – like giving away their tacky clothing lines (Poser X, Up In Flames, etc.’
On Saturday, a spokesman for the Met Police said: ‘Police were called at 12:09hrs on Saturday, 22 February following reports of a large crowd gathering in Soho in relation to an apparent marketing stunt that had been advertised online.
‘During the incident, some of the crowd caused damage to an unattended police vehicle.
‘Officers have since arrested two boys under the age of 16, on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle, criminal damage and affray.
‘They have been bailed whilst enquiries remain ongoing.
‘A Section 35 Dispersal Order for the borough of Westminster was put in place throughout the evening and no further related issues were reported.’
It comes amid the Met Police said the ‘can’t’ patrol city parks before 8am after London Regent’s Park has been plagued by early morning hammer attacks on cyclists, intentional wheel punctures and masked thieves.
Terrified cyclists have called on the force to start patrolling parks earlier in the day after swathes of violent robberies have seen them threatened with hammers and sharp objects.
The muggers have been operating in Regent’s Park, London, where more than 30 cycling clubs meet between 5.45am and 7am each day before the area opens to cars.
Preying on the groups, the often expensive bikes are regularly snatched by armed, balaclava-clad men on motorcycles, leaving cyclists petrified to go out in the capital.
And with upcoming planned cuts to the Met Police’s budget, fears have deepened over the potential disbandment of park police altogether – which could see the issue worsen.
Officers in the area currently do not begin patrolling the park until 8am and have said they cannot start any earlier in response to queries from the bikers.
Data analyst Patrick Conneely, 33, is one of many cyclists who has been affected by the thugs after they stole his £4,200 bike last month.
‘I was meeting some friends in the park and was a bit early so did a lap by myself,’ he told The Times.
‘A moped pulled up with two men on and one started looking at the brand. I knew I was in trouble so turned around and so did they. They told me to “get off the f***ing bike” and pulled out a hammer.
‘Someone called the police and they were there in about five minutes. They said it was the third or fourth call that morning. Cyclists are really scared.’
previously told how clubs around Regent’s Park have seen drop-off in cyclists clocking miles in the area after the recent rise in robberies.
Some believe their bikes are being stolen by criminal gang members before being transported across the world, which comes after the latest reports of the bikes being listed for sale in Russia.
Mum-of-three and keen cyclist Bethan Lloyd-Glass, 52, was on her way to Regent’s Park one morning last month when a thug pushed her off her £8,200 bike, swung it over their shoulder and jumped on a moped before speeding away.
The Pilates instructor was one of three victims of attempted thefts that morning around the park and admitted that the rise in thefts had led to a ‘climate of fear’ in the cycling community.
‘It’s terrible at the moment,’ she previously told .
‘There’s definitely a climate of fear in the cycling community.’
Mrs Lloyd-Glass says a lot of female cyclists like her are afraid to go out riding on their own due to violent robberies.
Describing her terrifying ordeal of having her bike stolen, she said: ‘It was very quiet, about 5.30 in the morning.
‘As I was approaching a canal bridge this motorbike came past me. The pillion passenger turned around to look at me, I had stopped a few feet away from them.
‘I kind of knew he was going to get off his bike. I unclipped my foot from the pedal and I think I said something ridiculous like, “Don’t take my bike”.
‘He pushed me off and took the bike. If I had resisted, they would definitely have had weapons – lots of people are threatened with knives.
‘I think I was easy pickings. It was like taking candy from a baby. I was in a bit of a panic.’
Chairman of the Regent’s Park Cyclists group, Sean Epstein, said those with more expensive bikes are targeted during early morning rides around the park.
He said: ‘What is special about Regent’s Park is that it’s shut to cars in the morning. There are main through roads [to the park] in the mornings.
‘Mopeds just stand and wait – two people on a moped of motorbike – plates removed, with masks or balaclavas.
‘Most robbers kick riders off their bikes while they’re riding and wrestle their bikes off them.
‘Last winter the robberies kept increasing. Our clubs were getting hit on a weekly basis.
‘It’s always the same method and the same response from the police: treating it like stolen property, shrugging and saying, “Sorry, we’ve got no leads.. You should get insurance”.
‘It has led to a general fear and inability for people to feel safe.’
Regent’s Park Cyclists, founded around a decade ago, recently penned an open letter to Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, warning him of the ‘chilling’ effect of the ‘weekly’ attacks on cyclists across London.
In his letter, Mr Epstein quoted figures from a Freedom of Information response from the force, which reported that in the year up to December 2023, 768 crimes of a pedal cycle being stolen using violence or the threat of violence were reported – equivalent to ’15 violent attacks each week, every week of the year’.
He added that a poll of members also found that out of 1,400 respondents, 91 per cent felt less safe as a result of a recent surge in violent robberies, with 59 per cent admitting they’d reduced their cycling as a consequence.
However, in a response they received from former Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, Mr Epstein was told a national review of cycling theft had found that violent robberies were ‘currently occurring in isolation’ with ‘no particular patterns’ or indications of ‘wider, organised criminality’.
The letter from Ms Rolfe, who has since moved on from her role as Assistant Commissioner, said: ‘I am confident that our renewed commitment to community-focused policing and the strengthening of the teams working in local areas will only enhance this ability and lead to improved results.’
Mr Epstein, however, said he was dissatisfied with the response.
‘Lots of nice words but no actual resource commitment,’ he said. ‘Over the last year, there has been a massive drop in participation in cycling and people just not feeling safe.
‘Over the summer, when the mornings get lighter, the problem went away. But now the winter is back, the cycle continues and there’s no meaningful response.’
Some cyclists who’ve had their bikes stolen said they have been threatened by thugs with knives, machetes and hammers.’