UK's Johnson says anti-racism protests 'subverted by thuggery'

Anti-racism protests in Britain have been "subverted by thuggery," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, warning those responsible would be held to account.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of London on Sunday, rallying for a second day running to condemn police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As numbers dwindled, some protesters tussled with police.

World leaders voice condemnation on George Floyd's killing

Fourteen police officers were injured on Saturday, two seriously, when protesters clashed with mounted police near Johnson's Downing Street residence.

Demonstrators hold up signs and flares in Parliament Square during a Black Lives Matter protest in London following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, U.S., June 7, 2020. /Reuters

"People have a right to protest peacefully and while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police," Johnson said on Twitter.

"These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery – and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account."

2nd day into London's mass protest

Some of the protesters wore face masks bearing the slogan "Racism is a virus."

On Saturday, thousands gathered in central London in a demonstration that was peaceful but ended with small numbers of people clashing with mounted police.

Demonstrators and police officers outside Downing Street during a Black Lives Matter protest in London, UK, June 7, 2020. /Reuters

London police chief Cressida Dick said 27 officers had been injured in "shocking and completely unacceptable" assaults during anti-racism protests over the past week, including 14 on Saturday. Two were seriously hurt and an officer who fell from her horse by accident underwent surgery.

Authorities had urged protesters not to gather in London again on Sunday, warning they risked spreading COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. But demonstrators still packed the road outside the U.S. Embassy on the south bank of the River Thames.

Protesters later marched across the river towards parliament and Downing Street, pausing on the bridge to go down on one knee and chant: "Justice, now!" In Parliament Square, many attached their placards to the railings outside parliament.

"Now is the time: we need to do something. We have become so complacent in the UK but the racism that killed George Floyd was born in the UK in terms of colonialism and white supremacy," said 28-year-old protester Hermione Lake.

Source(s): Reuters