Metropolitan Police officers were showered with glass and forced to retreat by an angry crowd after an attempt to disperse a mass party in west London on Saturday morning. The incident occurred at Havelock Close, White City.
"Officers attempted to engage the crowd in order to get them to leave the location but the group became hostile. A number of items were thrown at police, who retreated in order to regroup", Scotland Yard said in an official statement.
A video from the site of the attack shows a group of officers retreating, while the mob chases them and throws bottles at them.
#Hammersmith
— London 999 Feed (@999London) July 3, 2020
BREAKING: Met Police officers have had bottles pelted at them after attempting to encourage revellers to leave an illegal rave / ‘block party’ on the #WhiteCity Estate in west-London.
The event was being held on Havelock Close, W12.
Video: @davekayani pic.twitter.com/0xfyKFe8YY
Riot police and two helicopters were dispatched to stop the rave and restore the order in the neighbourhood.
Reinforcements have arrived and the police and enter Havelock Close in White City to disperse the large group who’ve gathered for a ‘block party’
— Breaking News (@newssbreaker) July 4, 2020
After being attacked earlier the riot gear is on and in they go #whitecity
pic.twitter.com/cikgeHRUab
This is not the first such incident, as the UK police have clashed with several mobs while trying to disperse illegal music parties in London and Manchester, because they were violating pandemic restrictions. At least several dozen officers were injured during those altercations.
