Police made several arrests after hundreds of Tommy Robinson supporters blocked a major road in central London and clashed with officers on Saturday afternoon.
Demonstrators gathered around Trafalgar Square, chanting “Free Tommy Robinson” and hurling missiles and smoke bombs at police. Rows of riot police lined the Mall leading to Buckingham Palace, where the Royal Family had celebrated Trooping the Colour earlier in the day. One supporter was seen on an open-top sightseeing bus wearing a Donald Trump mask.
The bus was stormed by demonstrators, causing significant damage, according to a spokesperson for megasightseeing.com. It had to be towed away, and the driver and a small number of customers had got off. By 6pm, officers had removed protesters from the bus and had kettled many others on a traffic island.
The Metropolitan Police said that as of 6.30pm, five arrests had been made: one for possession of an offensive weapon, two for assault on a police officer, one for possession of a flare, and one for criminal damage to a bus. The force said it would review CCTV footage of the demonstration.
Robinson, listed by his real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon on court documents, was jailed for contempt of court after broadcasting details of a trial subject to reporting restrictions. At Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to 13 months in jail: 10 months for contempt and an additional three months for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
