Two officers were “assaulted,” according to the Metropolitan Police, and only suffered minor injuries. One officer, however, was seriously injured in the face by a bottle that was thrown from the crowd.
The force also stated that although the person who hurled the bottle has not been recognized, police are looking into it.
The demonstration on Westminster’s Whitehall, which was organized by a coalition of organizations including the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, drew between 8,000 and 10,000 participants, according to police estimates.
The Public Order Act was used by the police to establish deadlines for the protest, which started at 6 p.m. and ended at 8 p.m.
Although the “vast majority of those in attendance” reportedly left at the requisite time, about 500 people persisted in their demonstration, according to police.
The Metropolitan Police stated in a statement: “Officers engaged extensively before making a number of arrests for failing to comply with conditions. As they moved in, some in the crowd resisted physically, requiring officers to use force to extract those who had been arrested.”
After that, according to the force, a few demonstrators started a breakout march along nearby Bridge Street, outside Westminster Tube station, where police set up barricades to hold the group.
