At least 15,000 people cram Trafalgar Square in rally against lockdown

At least 15,000 protesters have descended on Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park in London as part of an anti-lockdown demonstration.

Attendees of the ‘We Do Not Consent’ rally gathered earlier today after a quarter of Britain’s population was put under some form of lockdown.

The crowds have been urged to abide by coronavirus restrictions and warned that violence will not be tolerated at the event.

Virus conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, was spotted among the crowds.  

The protest comes just one week after a separate event which saw more than a dozen officers injured when a ‘small minority’ targeted police and more than 32 arrests were made. 

The protest comes as the second wave of coronavirus sweeps across the UK: 

• Almost 18million Britons are now living under tighter coronavirus restrictions, after the UK announced a record 6,874 new cases in the last 24 hours. 
• Scientists advising the Government on coronavirus are considering a plan to ask everyone over the age of 45 to shield in order to stop the spread of Covid-19.
• Britain has been warned to expect 100 coronavirus deaths a day within the next three to four weeks. 

The demonstrators, who have been shouting ‘we will win’, waved flags and placards carrying various slogans.

It is thought that earlier in the day police searched a man and confiscated a makeshift riot shield that he was carrying. 

The Metropolitan Police said it had been engaging with organisers throughout the week to remind them of their legal obligations and explaining the events could be in breach of coronavirus regulations.

While protests are exempt from the rule of six, which is in force in England, organisers must submit a risk assessment and comply with social distancing. 

Police said some organisers had done so but where this had not happened the Met will ‘increase their engagement and encourage attendees to disperse’.

They added that enforcement ‘remains a last resort but will be undertaken if required’. 

Commander Ade Adelekan, who is leading the Met operation, said while there is ‘great frustration’ at the regulations, a large midday protest could put the health of protesters and their contacts at risk.

He said: ‘I know there is great frustration to these regulations but they have been designed to keep everyone safe from what is a lethal virus. 

‘By flagrantly gathering in large numbers and ignoring social distancing, you are putting your health and the health of your loved ones at risk.’ 

He added: ‘Last weekend it was highly disappointing to see that a small minority of demonstrators targeted officers with violence. 

‘Some 15 officers were injured during this protest, with more than 32 arrests being made during the course of the day.

‘I will not tolerate a repeat of this behaviour this weekend and officers will respond quickly to any scenes of violence.’ 

It is thought that there are 15,000 protestors gathered at the event today. Trafalgar Square can hold 30,000 people at full capacity. 

The protest comes as scientists advising the Government on coronavirus considered a plan to ask everyone over the age of 45 to shield.

It was suggested those over 45 were at greater risk from the virus, and more likely to die from it, so could be ‘segmented’ from the rest of the population. The suggestion, revealed in papers from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), was eventually advised against, as it was considered unlikely to be successful.

However, it is being kept under review, and news of it follows a similar option drawn up by officials to potentially target over-50s with another lockdown. 

The minutes of the 48th meeting of the Sage scientists, held on July 23, state: ‘Although under-45s are at less risk from Covid-19, including lower risk of death, they are nonetheless at some risk and long-term sequelae (consequences) are not well understood.’

The document adds: ‘Around two-thirds of people in the UK live in a household which includes one or more individuals aged 45 and above. Any segmentation based on this age threshold would therefore affect most households.’

The ‘segmentation’ looked at would have involved those over 45 shielding, which early in the pandemic meant staying at home, and avoiding unnecessary contact with others.

Minutes from July 16 note there is likely to be ‘merit’ in segmenting society by age, particularly ‘to vulnerable people and those likely to have more contact with vulnerable people’.

It continues: ‘Data shows that people tend to have more contacts with others around their own age, but also have a significant number of contacts with those 20-30 years older and younger than themselves (likely to mainly be contacts between parents and children). 

‘There are also significant levels of contact between grandparents and children.’

Figures reveal that children and those aged below 45 are at far lower risk of dying from coronavirus than those aged over 75.

Office for National Statistics data reveals only four Covid-19 deaths were recorded in children aged one to 14 years old in England and Wales, or less than 0.01 per cent of the total. And 574 have been recorded in those aged 15 to 44, or 0.96 per cent of the total.

In comparison, 39,058 people aged 75 and over have died from the virus, or 65 per cent of the total.

The difference led a scientific paper published in Nature in July to conclude that those aged 80 and over are more than a hundred times more likely to die from the virus than patients aged 40 and below.

Despite the gap in risk of death, however, there have been warnings over long Covid, or where symptoms persist after the disease subsides, which could already affect more than 60,000 people in the UK.