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London Black Lives Matter protester tries to BURN Union Flag at Cenotaph as demonstrations turn ugly
A BLACK Lives Matter protester tried to burn a Union Flag at the Cenotaph as peaceful demonstrations in London turned ugly.
The yob was filmed using a lighter to set the flag alight as it draped off the iconic memorial to Britain’s war dead in Westminster.
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During the short clip others can be heard telling her “get down” as she stands on the memorial’s plinth.
But the protester ignores the pleas and another member of the crowd tries to rip the flag down before riot police quickly move in and form a barrier around the monument.
It is not clear whether the woman was arrested for the attempted vandalism but there are minor skirmishes as the officers ward off the protesters.
PEACEFUL PROTESTS
Black Lives Matter protests have been attended by tens of thousands of people across the UK in Manchester, Watford, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
A string of celebrities were also spotted at the rallies with Anthony Joshua, Stormzy, Rio Ferdinand and Madonna all supporting the demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.
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But this weekend’s largely peaceful events were marred by violent scenes with police officers pictured bleeding in the streets after a minority of yobs hurled fireworks, bottles and even bikes.
Striking pictures show a cop with blood cascading down his face as colleagues treat him on the pavement.
The protests on Sunday took place outside the US Embassy in a response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.
Activists in face masks held placards reading "I can't breathe" to echo the final words of Mr Floyd after white police officer Derek Chauvin held him down by kneeling on his neck.
Others have taken a knee in solidarity with those of who have accused police of brutality on a global scale.
The densely-packed crowd also broke out into chants of "enough is enough".
MONUMENT TO THE 'GLORIOUS DEAD: THE CENOTAPH
- The Cenotaph memorial was built to remember the British servicemen who died during the First World War.
- The original structure was made out of wood and plaster and was designed by British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens in 1919.
- It resembled a raised platform to hold a casket or tomb and stand on Whitehall.
- The memorial was only supposed to stand for a week but proved so popular a permanent monument was commissioned.
- A stone memorial took its place and was unveiled by King George V on Armistice Day – 11 November 1920.
- There are no names on the Cenotaph but the inscription reads: “The Glorious Dead”.
- The Cenotaph plays a focal role in the formal commemorations of Remembrance Sunday with the Queen and Prime Minister placing memorials at its plinth.
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Home Secretary Priti Patel branded the escalation of violence as "lawless and reckless" and described the scenes as "disgraceful vandalism" by a "thuggish minority".
Boris Johnson tweeted: "People have a right to protest peacefully & while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police.
"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."
Protests in London and the rest of the UK have mostly been peaceful throughout the weekend.
But petty acts of vandalism included the Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi statues being defaced in Parliament Square.
Churchill's name was crossed out and in black spray paint “was a racist” was written underneath.
Similar graffiti was also sprayed on Gandhi’s memorial was “racist” daubed on its plinth.
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Four thousand people descended on a peaceful demonstrations in Bristol where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled by protesters.
The statue was later seen being thrown off a bridge and into the River Avon.
The Met Police said there were 29 arrests in relation to the London protests and 14 officers were injured - including a female cop thrown from her horse.
Video showed the officer colliding with a traffic light before the horse bolted through a crowd of protesters.
FLOYD COPS CHARGED
The officer was taken to hospital with "nasty injuries" following the incident in Whitehall on Saturday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned there is "undoubtedly a risk" there will be an increase in coronavirus cases following the protests.
He urged: "Please don't gather in groups of more than six people because there is also a pandemic that we must address and control.”
The death of dad Mr Floyd, 46, has been classified as a homicide after an autopsy found his heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck.
A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also found he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Chauvin, filmed in the now-viral video kneeling on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes before he lost consciousness, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The other three officers on scene have now been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
All four have been sacked from their jobs in the police force.
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