Central London erupted into anarchic scenes as riot police attempted to disperse the crowds at the end of the Million Mask March.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people descended on central London for the\u00a0Million\u00a0Mask\u00a0March\u00a0which saw police make over 50 arrests.<\/p>\n
The march started at Trafalgar Square. Protesters held flares and chanted “Whose streets? Our Streets!” as they made their way to Westminster.<\/p>\n
The protest began peacefully, with several participants climbing the base of Nelson’s column and chanting the slogan “one solution, revolution”.<\/p>\n
The police beamed a message in green letters\u00a0onto\u00a0a building in\u00a0Parliament Square, which read:\u00a0“Please observe Public Order Act restrictions. Failure to comply may result in arrest and prosecution. Officers may require you to remove facial covering. Failure to comply is an offence.”<\/p>\n
Police imposed conditions on the march, limiting it to a three-hour period between 6pm and 9pm on a prescribed route between Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. However,\u00a0hundreds of activists refused to leave after 9pm, sparking intervention from riot police.<\/p>\n
As officers tried to make arrests, they were charged at by protesters furiously shouting of \u201cf*** the police\u201d and \u201cpolice brutality\u201d.<\/p>\n
Several glass bottles were thrown as police escorted another protester away as pockets of aggression moved sporadically around Trafalgar Square.<\/p>\n
Scotland Yard said there had been 53\u00a0arrests, including three\u00a0for possession of an offensive weapon, 14\u00a0for drugs and two for the non-removal of a face mask.<\/p>\n
Images and video of the march show fireworks and flares being let off from the crowds, and some were reportedly thrown at people.<\/p>\n
Clad in Guy Fawkes\u00a0masks, thousands of supporters of Anonymous, the anarchic hacking collective, carried placards as\u00a0they made their way through the Capital while scores of police officers maintained a tight perimeter around them.<\/p>\n
“Whilst the majority of those taking part were peaceful, there were pockets of disorder and a number of fireworks thrown which thankfully did not result in injury,” Scotland Yard said.<\/p>\n
Commander BJ Harrington of the Met\u2019s Public Order Command said:\u00a0“I would like to commend my officers policing this challenging event for their professionalism and faultless co-ordination.”<\/p>\n
“I would also like to thank those participants who conducted themselves in a peaceful manner as well as Londoners and those visiting our city for their patience and tolerance.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWe facilitate hundreds of peaceful protests every year in London usually with the co-operation of the organisers. On this occasion although the organisers did not engage with police, the majority of protesters did adhere to the conditions imposed. Only a small minority chose to breach the conditions and engage in criminality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The annual protest is one of many similar marches held worldwide on November 5. Its agenda is broadly anti-capitalism and pro-civil liberty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"