At least 19 people were arrested in London after they gathered to protest the United Kingdom’s social distancing guidelines.
The Saturday demonstration came the first weekend after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson slightly relaxed the country’s restrictions. The group was gathered in Hyde Park, located in the central part of London, according to Reuters. Police said that the protesters were not following the country’s social distancing guidelines during the demonstration.
The arrests come after Johnson, who was himself hospitalized for COVID-19, announced that people could now begin to meet with other people from different households in parks, although he emphasized that social distancing was still in place and gatherings were not permitted.
Laurence Taylor, deputy assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan Police, said in a statement that those arrested were “putting themselves and others at risk of infection.”
“It was disappointing that a relatively small group in Hyde Park came together to protest the regulations in clear breach of the guidance,” Taylor said. “Officers once again took a measured approach and tried to engage the group to disperse. They clearly had no intention of doing so, and so, it did result in 19 people being arrested and a further 10 being issued with a fixed penalty notice.”
