Clashes have broken out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters during a demonstration in Westminster, leaving three officers injured and 40 people arrested.
One officer was left with a serious facial injury after she was hit by a bottle thrown from the crowd, while two officers had minor injuries.
Metropolitan Police said the suspect who threw the bottle has not been identified but police are investigating.
A protest organised by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, began at around 6pm on Tuesday and was required to end at 8pm, police said.
The majority of the crowd, which was between 8,000 and 10,000 people, left Whitehall without incident.
Officers are identifying the ringleaders in this group and specialist arrest teams in protective equipment are going into the crowd to detain and extract them. pic.twitter.com/QDHr7b04kI
— Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) May 28, 2024
A group of around 500 people remained and police began making a number of arrests for failing to comply.
Police said some of the crowd resisted arrest which required police to use force to remove those who had been arrested before the protest broke away with the crowd marching to Bridge Street, outside Westminster Station, where police put up cordons to detain the group.
A police statement said they went into the crowd shortly before 10pm to arrest those suspected of leading the breakaway protest, with 40 people arrested for offences including breaking the Public Order Act, obstruction of a highway and assaults of emergency workers.
Around 2am on Wednesday, police said all protestors had left the area and Bridge Street had been reopened.
