London protests – live: Labour backs jail terms for war memorial vandals as man arrested on suspicion of urinating next to PC Keith Palmer plaque

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Thugs attack riot police at BLM counter protest in London

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has said he would back jail terms for people who vandal war memorials after several have been damaged during protests.

More than 100 people were arrested at violent far-right counter-demonstrations in London on Saturday, condemned by Boris Johnson as “racist thuggery”.

Six police officers were injured in clashes as several hundred demonstrators, mostly white men, attended the protest organised by far-right groups.

The groups claimed they had turned up to protect statues from vandalism – but the demonstration quickly turned violent as protesters took over areas near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square and hurled missiles, smoke grenades, glass bottles and flares at police officers.

Key Points

• Shadow home secretary backs jail terms for war memorial vandals
• 100 arrested at violent far-right clashes in London
• Man arrested on suspicion of urinating on Keith Palmer memorial

[14 June 2020 10:42 · Chiara.Giordano]

Labour backs jail sentences plan for war memorial vandals

Labour has backed a plan by the government to jail people who deface war memorials and other monuments, the party's shadow home secretary has said.

Under plans being considered by home secretary Priti Patel and cabinet colleagues, vandals could face 10-year prison sentences if convicted.

The proposed new law comes as gangs of far-right football hooligans mobilised across the country on Saturday to "protect" war memorials from anti-racism protesters, who they mistakenly believed were systematically targeting them.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has the full details:

[14 June 2020 11:11 · Chiara.Giordano]

'I personally don't want these statues taken away', says Church of England's first black female bishop

The Bishop of Dover, Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, has said she does not want statues linked to slavery and Britain's racist past to be taken down, but instead favoured the idea of installing plaques.

Rev Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England's first black female bishop, said she supported Black Lives Matter protesters who have been holding peaceful demonstrations.

She told Sophy Ridge on Sky: "I personally don't want those statues to be taken away, I would love to see a plaque written up that tells the true story, so that history can really be told in the right way.

"You take it away and it gets forgotten for just the privileged few who are able to go to the museum.

"I applaud those who are peacefully standing up to say we want a different world to live in."

[14 June 2020 11:25 · Chiara.Giordano]

With lockdown slowly being eased, Britain is heading towards a "new normal, Pooja C Singh writes in this Indy Voices piece.

But recent events have shown that this "new normal" will not necessarily be limited to just social distancing.

[14 June 2020 11:50 · Chiara.Giordano]

Scouts must learn 'failings' of founder, says Bear Grylls

(Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

Bear Grylls has said the Scout movement must learn the history and "failings" of its founder Robert Baden-Powell, a divisive figure who has been linked to the Nazis and the Hitler Youth programme.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in Dorset announced the statue of Baden-Powell on Poole Quay would be temporarily taken down after it was put on a target list.

But the removal, due to take place on Thursday, was delayed after a crowd of people - some wearing Scout uniforms - gathered around the statue and vowed to protect it.

Adventurer and TV presenter Grylls, who is Chief Scout, said Scouting needs to be aware of its past and Baden-Powell's role.

Writing for telegraph.co.uk, he said: "Baden-Powell may have taken the first step in creating Scouting, but the journey continues today without him. We know where we came from but we are not going back."

PA

[14 June 2020 12:15 · Chiara.Giordano]

A large group of protesters abused people sitting having a picnic in Hyde Park on Saturday afternoon, as far-right demonstrations took place in central London.

Video shared online shows the gang approach some people gathered in the park for a picnic, before swearing at them and forcing them to move.

My colleague Rory Sullivan has the full details:

[14 June 2020 12:35 · Chiara.Giordano]

Focussing on the specific intra-communal differences in the black community would be a lot more useful than the erasure that typically arises with the use of catch-all acronyms, Seun Matiluko writes in this piece for Indy Voices.

[14 June 2020 12:50 · Chiara.Giordano]

In the US, protesters in Atlanta have burned down a Wendy's restaurant where a black man was shot dead by police on Friday.

Rayshard Brooks, 27, had allegedly fallen asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane at the fast food restaurant. Police attempted to arrest Mr Brooks after he failed a sobriety test.

My colleague Harry Cockburn reports:

[14 June 2020 13:10 · Chiara.Giordano]

In this bizarre video clip, rival protesters in London appear to fight over “who is more racist”.

Louis Staples has more details over on our sister site indy100: