Over 30 arrested at anti-lockdown protests in London

As many as 33 arrests have been made after anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in central London on Saturday.

London: At least 33 people were arrested during anti-lockdown protests in London on Saturday as scores of people gathered at Hyde Park and marched along central streets toward government buildings on Whitehall road and UK parliament.

Under the country's COVID-19 rules, protesting is not a "reasonable excuse" for leaving home, Sputnik reported. "As of 18:45 hours, 33 people have been arrested by officers policing the gatherings in central London. Most of the arrests have been for breaching COVID regulations," the Metropolitan Police tweeted.

The London police said they are continuing to engage with people attending the ongoing protests in Central London.

"Those gathering in crowds are being encouraged to disperse and go home. Officers will take enforcement action where necessary.

This could be a fixed penalty notice or arrest," Metropolitan Police added. Over 60 members of parliament wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel asking her to lift the pandemic-linked ban on protests, Sputnik reported. According to the Johns Hopkins University, UK has so far reported 4,304,839 COVID-19 cases and 126,359 fatalities.

(ANI)