Police urge people not to attend large gatherings as lockdown protests planned in London

‘If people do not listen to our advice and fail to comply with the rules, we will be forced to take enforcement action’

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The Metropolitan Police has urged people not to attend large gatherings the last week before Christmas, while anti-lockdown protests are planned for Saturday in London.

The force said extra officers will be on the streets to encourage compliance with strict Tier 3 restrictions and to “swiftly clamp down on those willfully and dangerously ignoring them.”

An anti-lockdown demonstration is expected in Parliament Square on Saturday, with others planned around the country.

In the letter, published on the Metropolitan Police’s website on Friday, Scotland Yard warned people may be committing a criminal offence if they attend large gatherings that do not abide by government rules.

Coronavirus laws outlaw gatherings of more than six outdoors, although there is a list of exemptions which includes protests where all relevant safety precautions are in place.

“There will be a keen focus to disrupting any large gatherings, paying particular attention to the areas with the highest infection rates,” the force said in a statement. “These plans also take into account any protests planned for this weekend, where organisers must adhere to strict Government regulations on organising and attending an assembly as well as their submitted Risk Assessment.”

It warned people it is their responsibility to ensure they weren’t committing an offence and urged those organising gatherings to inform their local police. “We all need to continue to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus,” it said.

“Where we become aware of planned events that will breach regulations, we will try to engage with organisers or venues to make them fully aware of the restrictions that are in place to keep people safe,” Laurence Taylor, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner, said in a statement.

“However, if people do not listen to our advice and fail to comply with the rules, we will be forced to take enforcement action.

“With infection rates rising rapidly across the capital, we all need to play our part in preventing the spread of the virus.

“This is the final weekend before Christmas, so now is not the time for complacency. I know Londoners know what they should and should not be doing and I would urge everyone to act sensibly and do their part to keep our city safe.

“Sticking to the guidelines put in place to keep us all safe and well is now more important than ever.”

National chairman John Apter and Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh described the Christmas footfall coupled with a mass demonstration as a potentially “deadly and unmanageable mix”.

The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers in England and Wales, earlier this week wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel highlighting the health risks to those policing protests.

Scotland Yard’s warning comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson called an emergency meeting with ministers after seeing worrying evidence of a new coronavirus variant circulating in England.

Announcing the new variant earlier this week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it may be more easily transmissible and could be behind the sharp rise in infections in parts of England despite the new restrictions.

Mr Johnson is believed to have called an urgent meeting to discuss a possible tightening of restrictions with senior ministers on Friday.

The government and the leaders of the devolved governments have not backtracked on their proposed temporary relaxation of the rules over Christmas, which would allow people to form Christmas bubbles to celebrate together.

On Friday, several scientists warned that the policy could cause a new wave of deaths, calling it “a mistake” that could lead the UK into a “dire situation” and urging people to change their plans and stay at home where possible.

Additional reporting by PA