Clashes at St George’s Day rally in central London

Police in central London dealt with disorder ahead of a St George’s Day rally after a group of people forced their way through a cordon.

The event began at 3pm, but the Metropolitan Police said there had been disturbances ahead of the organised gathering.

Additional policing resources, including public order officers, were deployed in Westminster, supported by colleagues from the British Transport Police and the City of London Police.

Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “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 round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.”

Whitehall had to be closed to traffic while police dealt with the incident.

An earlier post by the Met said a number of people had been seen wearing masks in the area, and a Section 60AA order was in force 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 in force in the same area to prevent crime and disorder, the force added.

After the incident, a group gathered outside the Ministry of Defence on Whitehall, waving St George’s Cross flags and listening to speeches including one by Tommy Robinson, who was cleared of breaching a dispersal order at court on Tuesday.

The crowd sang “England ‘til I die” and joined in with songs including Sweet Caroline as they played over loudspeakers.

Laurence Fox, the actor turned politician, appeared on stage and said: “I want to live in a country where we celebrate the things that unite us, not divide us. I do not want to live in a country where I’m afraid to walk the streets of my capital city because the Met Police is run by the most corrupt dictator the world has ever seen.”

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Fox claimed the policing had been tougher than at other types of marches and protests.

He said: “I saw they got their elbows out a bit earlier when they could control the numbers, but on the other marches they can’t control the numbers so they struggle. When they get an opportunity to get their elbows out and it’s this flag flying around, they will take it.

“It’s important that people on their national day can be proud of their nation. Our nation is done down repeatedly by every single politician and national institution, and it’s really important to celebrate what’s great about this country.”

Mr Robinson told the crowd: “It must be an embarrassing day for the Metropolitan Police force... it’s a very dangerous route that Sadiq Khan and Mark Rowley are taking our country down.”

One member of the crowd called Ricky, a 63-year-old from north London who did not want to give his full name, said: “It’s our national day. Why shouldn’t we be here? We have been let down by politicians. They don’t care about us. Look at all the police here, in their riot gear. They’re not like that for all the protests for Palestine.”

At one point, Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, asked the organisers of the rally whether he could speak on the main stage, but the 77-year-old was refused.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “I’m here to support the concept of St George’s Day, and I believe it should be a national holiday.”