Police officers have clashed with protesters in central London on St George’s Day after people belonging to far right groups travelled across the UK to the capital to march on Whitehall.
The Met Police said some members of the large crowd, located near to the Cenotaph, ‘violently’ forced through police blockades, requiring the deployment of mounted officers.
A spokesperson previously said that among those expected to attend were people belonging to ‘far right groups’ and ‘groups linked to football clubs’.
Crowds blocked the road and chants of ‘England till I die’ could be heard in videos from the scene.
The Met Police posted on X: ‘The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.
Officers from the Met Police clashed with protesters who attempted to force their way through police lines
‘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 round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.’
Police previously said the event was due to start at 3pm and ‘must’ end before 5pm.
Pictures from the scene show officers attempting to regain control of the crowd, many of whom are draped in England flags.
Video appears to show a police horse being hit with an umbrella, while some officers appear to be wearing riot gear.
The Met has put a Section 60 order in place in Lambeth and Westminster, allowing them to increase stop and searches, as well as another order which gives officers the power to require removal of face coverings.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.