Photos: Chris Hobbs
Unusually, for the Met, it did give more than a hint that public order events of last weekend would present a challenge to police planners and officers out there on the ground. Doubtless, the headline writers and those former police officers who have appeared so frequently on our screens lambasting police were poised for further media appearances.
I opted to remain in Central London and was somewhat surprised to be shown footage of a protest in Lewisham in respect of ‘Drag Queen story-time.’ Two weeks ago, there was some media coverage of a similar event at the Tate London where a protest organised by the far-right drew about 60 people who were opposed by about 100 anti-racists. Although there was some dispute in respect of the far-right ‘tags’, a tweet by the Patriotic Alliance, now seemingly banned from twitter, served only to confirm this fact.
In contrast to the Tate Britain event, only about 20 individuals turned up to protest outside the Honor Oak public house where the event was due to take place. They were opposed by hundreds of anti-racists but, despite the potential for disorder, the Met described the protest as ‘peaceful’ with five arrests.
Stop the war
Meanwhile, in Central London, hundreds of ‘stop the war’ protesters were gathering in Portland Place. The protesters appeared to have a variety of opinions in relation to the invasion. Some just wanted the war to stop; others were bitterly opposed to NATO and their arming of Ukraine while a third group actively supported Russia.
The appearance of a small group of Ukrainian nationals and supporters was unexpected. They formed up on the opposite footway, complete with flags and chants. Most of the anti-war protesters simply ignored them but several of their number approached the group shouting insults with the word ‘fascist’ being prominent.
The Ukrainian group then repositioned themselves about 100 yards in front of Stop the War, thus blocking the intended route of the march. As the Stop the War protest moved off, the Ukrainian counter-protest also moved this effectively, heading the Stop the War march.
This meant that the Ukrainians effectively ‘bossed’ the Stop the War procession with the very effective stewards at the head of the latter stopping their own march each time the Ukrainians halted, thus keeping a reasonable distance between the two.
As the march approached Trafalgar Square, police directed the small group of pro-Ukrainian marchers to area in front of the National Gallery where they congregated on the steps leading into the Square.
Also present in front of the National Gallery were Iranians protesting against the regime but their numbers were down as compared to the larger, organised protests of previous weeks. Relations between Iranian and Ukrainian protesters in London have always been cordial due their mutual loathing of Russia.
The Stop the War protesters congregated in front of Nelson’s Column having arrived via a different entrance. A loudspeaker truck was in position and there then followed a series of speeches including one by Jeremy Corbyn.
ULEZ and Mayor Khan
Meanwhile, in another section of Trafalgar Square, hundreds of protesters had gathered in relation to Mayor Khan’s decision to implement ULEZ (an Ultra-Low Emissions Zone covering most of Greater London). The protest was as much against the Mayor as the proposals which would probably put them at odds with the majority of leftist Stop the War protesters in terms of environmental issues. However, there was no friction between the two.
During this period, increased numbers of Newcastle fans were congregating in a corner of the Square and making their presence felt by draping flags over walls and singing songs familiar to many of us who watch the sports channels.
Suddenly the hundreds of ULEZ protesters left Trafalgar Square and marched to Downing Street where the traffic was blocked for a short while. Police carriers arrived on the ‘hurry up,’ but again there was no friction and protesters readily complied with requests to leave the route open for busses and cars although traffic was diverted for a short while. Interestingly, Jeremy Corbyn’s brother, Piers was with the ULEZ protest and could be seen attempting and failing to lead the crowd with his familiar chant of; ‘Resist, defy, do not comply,” which was first heard during the protests against Covid restrictions.
The Geordie invasion
ULEZ protesters returned and slowly dispersed as more and more Newcastle fans entered the square. We saw one individual fan sitting precariously, on a high wall overlooking the square. After getting a call that someone had fallen and was being tended by police, I made my way to the section of the square occupied by three ambulance vehicles. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the aforementioned fan emerged with a visible head wound and still clearly the worse for drink.
Paramedics and police were clearly attempting to persuade him that he needed further treatment but were greeted with aggression and abuse. Eventually, one police officer stood in the way of the male and whilst I couldn’t hear the exact conversation, the gist seemed to be that if the man refused to go to hospital, he would be arrested, quite properly, for being drunk and disorderly which, of course would also involve a visit to hospital. The fan returned to the ambulance which shortly left.
As dusk fell, numbers of fans increased dramatically. Many, clutching carrier bags fill of cans, had clearly boosted the profits of Tesco’s and the Coop which both have shops nearby. Songs and chants reverberated around the square. Rumour has it that there was a plan involving police preventing alcohol and flares from entering Trafalgar Square but, if such a plan existed, it was clearly impracticable. Amongst police officers watching over the crowd were two Northumberland police spotters both of whom were supporters of the ‘toon.’
As the crowds in one section of the square became worryingly dense, a senior officer could be seen leading a group through the crowd which included an elderly male who had apparently collapsed and was bring supported by paramedics and police. One individual leaning over a wall shouted a comment which angered one of the group, who was restrained by officers as he attempted to attack the humourist. An officer informed the individual that the unwell male was the irate man’s father. The male with the inappropriate sense of humour apologised.
At night, the lighting in Trafalgar Square is minimal which could prove problematic if there was an incident. In all honesty I have never, ever encountered so many people so very, very drunk.
It did beg the question as to why the well kept and spacious toilets in Trafalgar Square were shut at their usual time; around 6pm. Whilst some fans found their way to the toilets in Charing Cross station, most were availing themselves of adjacent ‘dark corners,’ and alleyways in order to relieve themselves which meant large sections of footway were swimming in a combination of alcohol and urine.
The provision of suitable toilet facilities and indeed, for match day itself, the provision of large screens in suitable open spaces for the ticketless, could be issues worthy of future discussion by the Mayor’s office in conjunction with the Met.
The last incident involved an elderly man with blood-soaked trousers which, when rolled up, revealed a nasty would to the knee. Two officers looked after the man with one leaving before returning with a Met ‘green bag’ first aid kit. A dressing was expertly applied and the officers left after being thanked by the injured man and his family.
Throughout the evening, Met officers kept a cheerful watch over the many thousands of Geordies. Relations were excellent and good humoured. Perhaps, much to the disappointment of police detractors, there was a complete absence tension as Geordies of all ages enjoyed a night to remember.
It was fitting that, as the fans drifted away at the end of the night, a number earned plaudits from mainstream and social media by staying to clear up the huge quantities of litter left behind.
And so, a demanding day ended for the Met’s public order branch. Officers had to police four demonstrations and two counter protests in addition to four London football matches and many thousands of Geordies. There were just a handful of arrests and, from my own observations, officers displayed good humoured patience and professionalism which, in an ideal world, would attract praise from the MSM.
Sunday denigration.
Instead, on Sunday morning the Observer newspaper published a front- page story which suggested that a disturbing number of officers were ‘facing charges,’ based, apparently, on the number of officers who sought legal assistance from the Police Federation. The fact that officers may seek such assistance for a variety of reasons was apparently lost on the report’s authors. Hopefully, the Police Federation intend to publish a stinging rebuttal.
Many officers performing duty on the following day will also have been aware of the headline and yet another ‘story.’ On the Sunday, the Met were facing challenges involving a high- risk Spurs versus Chelsea match plus the Wembley final involving Newcastle and Manchester United.
As far as I am aware, both matches passed of without any significant incidents thus ending a hugely successful weekend thanks to the efforts of a much- maligned Met workforce, assisted by colleagues from the City of London and BTP, plus of course, those spotters.