Police arrest suspected knifeman during far-right chaos in London

A man has been arrested on suspicion of holding a knife during far-right chaos which took place in London this afternoon.

It comes after groups earlier clashed with police whilst chanting "England till I die" as they waved St George's flags in the air. They fought with police as they attempted to break through the Cenotaph cordon during Armistice Day celebrations.

Police were targeted with bottles, which later escalated to missiles being thrown at officers as tensions rised in the capital. Police have since confirmed majority of the group have been dispersed.

Met Police issued a statement on Twitter and said: "A group of counter protestors who left Whitehall and moved into Chinatown confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them. Additional officers have been deployed to the area to identify, locate and deal with those involved.

Police fficers were situated in Whitehall

"Our priority is keeping the public safe. We will not tolerate disorder in central London today. Officers who intercepted this group have arrested a man on suspicion of possession of a knife. The majority of the group have dispersed but officers remain in the area." It comes after organisers predicted half a million people will gather in Central London to call for ceasefire in Israel's war against Hamas. Pro-Palestine marches have recently taken place across London in response to the lethal attack launched on October 7. In response, far-right groups called on people to "protect" the Cenotaph this weekend despite demonstrations being expected to take place elsewhere. In a statement earlier this week, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan stressed there has been an increase in the risk of violence and disorder in connection to "breakaway groups". He called for organisers to reconsider going through with demonstrations this weekend.

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Officers heading down The Mall in central London

He told The Mirror: "The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing. This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital. Our message to organisers is clear: Please, we ask you to urgently reconsider. It is not appropriate to hold any protests in London this weekend. " The Comissioner continued: "Since October 7, more than 160 people have been arrested for a range of offences, including racially motivated public offences, violence and assaulting police officers. There has been an escalation in violence and disorder linked to protests, often perpetrated by breakaway groups who have no interest in demonstration causes. More than 554 reports of anti-Semitic offences and 220 Islamophobic offences have been received between October 1 and November 1, 2023."