Six People Charged over London’s Kill the Bill Protest outside Parliament (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police charged four women and two men over Kill the Bill protest in London addressed by Jeremy Corbyn where 10 officers were hurt in violent clashes.
Four of those charged - three women and a man aged between 23 and 39 - have been accused of assaulting an emergency worker.
The other two defendants have been charged with obstructing a constable and all six are due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court later this month, the Daily Mail reported.
The demonstration, which took place on Saturday, saw thousands of people gather in Parliament Square, London.
Some protestors chanted, banged drums and waved placards at the demo to rail against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will impose certain conditions on future protests.
Projectiles were also thrown by demonstrators and several people were led away in handcuffs.
A small group of around 50-100 protesters in London began to block roads around Parliament Square and chanted anti-police slogans.
The Met confirmed that while the vast majority socially distanced and left peacefully, they arrested a total of 107 people at the event on suspicion of a range of offences.
Lucie Nduhirane, 34, Michael Thompson, 39, 30-year-old Pippa Roikonen and Tania McCleary, 23, have all been charged with with assaulting an emergency worker.
They are all due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later this month.
Samuel Roberts, 31, of Bowditch, SE8, has been charged with highway obstruction and obstructing a constable.
Estella Moreno, 24, of Reginald Street, Luton, has been charged with obstructing a constable.
Both Roberts and Moreno are also due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later this month.
The force has today said that 72 people – the vast majority of whom were arrested for breach of the peace - have been released with no further action.
An additional 19 people have been either bailed or released under investigation while nine people have been reported for fines under the Health Protection Regulations.
One person has been issued with a penalty notice for a public order offence.
The protests were in opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which proposes to give police in England and Wales more power to impose conditions on non-violent protests, including those which are deemed too noisy or a nuisance.
The event was attended by Jeremy Corbyn who addressed the crowds on Saturday afternoon.
The former Labour leader stood next to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi as he spoke at the rally, describing the Government-proposed bill as a 'very dangerous, slippery slope' and defending the right to protest.
He said: 'If we don't protest, things don't change', which drew cheers and applause from onlookers. Close by, anti-lockdown demonstrators staged their own protest, supported by Corbyn's brother, Piers.
By the evening, the Metropolitan Police said 'a small minority' of protestors, who were not social distancing, were still in the square and that arrests were being made after they turned down requests to leave.
The majority of protesters from the demonstration, who gathered earlier in the day, had dispersed several hours earlier but those still present shouted 'shame on you' repeatedly at officers.
Three Kill the Bill protestors unfurled a banner which read 'Kill Cops' and held aloft the incendiary message outside the Houses of Parliament - just 50 metres away from where PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death in 2017.
