Police officer injured in mass street brawl after force called to break up 200-strong Eid street party in Ilford
- Police were called to Ilford at 11.30pm on Thursday to reports of a street party
- Officers asked the 200-strong crowd to disperse and many agreed immediately
- Two groups began fighting with each other and a police officer was injured
- One man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer
A police officer was injured as he tried to break up a 200-strong street party in east London of people celebrating Eid.
The incident happened shortly before midnight on Thursday in Ilford.
Metropolitan
Police officers swooped after worried calls from the public who had
spotted a large group of people gathered on the street ahead of the
religious festival.
Officers approached people in the crowd and urged them to go home, however, as the people dispersed a fight broke out.
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Police rushed to break up the fight between the two groups and one officer suffered a head injury.
One man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and assaulting an emergency worker.
Chief
Superintendent Stephen Clayman of the Met's East Area Command said:
'While we accept that celebrations take place, and we have no desire to
spoil them for the community, if they descend into violence we
absolutely will step in.
'A number of
calls were received last night from concerned members of the public and
while we appreciate this is a time of excitement and celebration for
some, the sight and sound of such a large group was concerning and even
distressing for others.
'That this size of gathering has taken
place during a pandemic is concerning. I remind all of our communities
to respect each other and ensure that the government guidelines around
social distancing are followed.
'Following
a work day of protecting the public, one of my officers has had to
return home to his family with a head injury. This is beyond
unacceptable and I would like to be very clear that anyone assaulting an
officer in the course of his or her duty will be arrested and placed
before the courts.'
Scotland Yard confirmed the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has been notified and will review body worn cameras.
Last night's disturbance happened just as
the Government announced a raft of new restrictions across the North
West of England due to a spike in Covid-19.
The affected area spreads across Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire.
However,
the government were accused of rushing through the restrictions ahead
of Eid - where Muslim families traditionally meet up in large groups.
The
new restrictions apply to Greater Manchester, including the City of
Manchester, Trafford, Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Wigan, Bolton, Tameside,
Rochdale and Salford.
They also apply
to Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale in
Lancashire, and Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees in West Yorkshire.
Similar restrictions will also apply to Leicester, which saw the first so-called 'local lockdown' imposed on June 29.
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