By Sylvia Hui - AP
London police faced a demonstration on Saturday against coronavirus restrictions, even as the mayor warned that it is "increasingly likely" that the British capital will
pass stricter rules to curb the rise in infections.
There were clashes between police and protesters as authorities moved to break out the protest in central London's Trafalgar Square.
Some protesters formed blockades to prevent officers from making arrests, and traffic stopped in the busy, touristy area.
The "Resist and Act for Freedom" demonstration featured dozens of people holding banners and posters like one that read "This is now tyranny" and shouted "Freedom!"
The police stated that there were "sources of hostility and outbreaks of violence towards the officers."
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The British Conservative government this week banned social gatherings of more than six people
as a measure to curb the increase in coronavirus infections in the country.
Tighter localized restrictions have also been introduced in much of the North West English cities, affecting some 13.5 million people.
Demonstrators against coronavirus restrictions in Trafalgar Square, London, Saturday 19 September 2020.AP Photo / Matt Dunham
But officials are considering tighter national restrictions after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Friday that Britain is "now seeing a second wave" of coronavirus, following the same trend seen in France, Spain and across Europe.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city may impose some of the measures that already exist in other parts of the UK, which may include curfews, earlier closing times for pubs and banning home visits.
"I am extremely concerned about the accelerating speed at which COVID-19 is spreading in London," Khan said on Friday.
"It is increasingly likely that, in London, additional measures will soon be required to curb the spread of the virus," he announced.
Masked police officers stand next to a protest in London's Trafalgar Square.AP Photo / Matt Dunham
The comments came as daily new cases of coronavirus in Britain rose to 4,322, the highest level since early May.
The latest official estimates released on Friday also show that new infections and
hospital admissions are doubling every seven to eight days in the UK.
A survey of randomly selected people, not including those in hospitals or nursing homes, estimated that almost 60,000 people in England were suffering from coronavirus in the week of September 4, about 1 in 900 people.
A protester in Trafalgar Square, London, holds up a sign that reads, "My Body, My Choice," and calls out the mandatory use of masks.AP Photo / Matt Dunham
The UK suffers the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe with more than 41,821
confirmed
deaths
related to the virus, but experts say the figures underestimate the true impact of the pandemic.
In a statement, British police said Saturday's protesters were "putting themselves and others at risk" and urged everyone at the London rally to disperse immediately or risk arrest.