"But more than six hours after they first gathered, they were trapped, surrounded on all sides by their opponents, who were kept at bay by lines of riot police. Seeking violence, many of the fascist thugs who attended the Unite the Kingdom march splintered off from the main 110,000-strong group after the initial march, catching the police off-guard by filing down sidestreets off Whitehall. When they came up behind the counter-protesters to take over Trafalgar Square, they cut off the only exit."
"One officer said they the police were being attacked on all fronts as they were almost overwhelmed by the masses of aggressive supporters of the far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who calls himself Tommy Robinson. The officer said colleagues had needed to urgently scramble to bring their helmets and shields to the frontline after they suddenly realised they were facing off with aggressive men clad in the flag of St George, who, it seemed, had not come for a peaceful march."
Anti-fascist counter-protesters who opposed a far-right march in central London became trapped and surrounded for more than six hours, held back by lines of riot police. Far-right participants from the Unite the Kingdom rally splintered from the main 110,000-strong group and moved down sidestreets off Whitehall to approach Trafalgar Square from behind. The splinter group cut off the counter-protesters' only exit and engaged in aggressive behaviour. Officers reported being attacked on multiple fronts and urgently brought helmets and shields to the frontline. Riot police erected barricades and kettled the counter-protesters, preventing exits for safety reasons.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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