Violence against police will not be tolerated, says UK after 22 officers attacked

Violence against police will not be tolerated, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday after an overnight disturbance in London when 22 police officers were injured.

“These are appalling scenes. Violence against the police will not be tolerated. We have been clear that anyone who assaults the police, or any of our emergency services workers who helps keep us safe, should feel the full force of the law,” he told reporters.

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The officers were injured during trouble at an unauthorized music event in London overnight where crowds attacked some patrol cars, British authorities said on Thursday.

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“These are utterly vile scenes,” said Home Secretary (interior minister) Priti Patel.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, c), Home Secretary Priti Patel, (L) and Commissioner of the City of London Police, Ian Dyson (R) arrive at the scene of a stabbing on London Bridge in the City of London. (File photo: AFP)

A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the scenes as “appalling”, adding: “Violence against the police will not be tolerated.”

Police said they had been attacked when responding to complaints about noise, anti-social behavior and violence in the Brixton area.

None of the officers was injured seriously, though two required hospital treatment. Some police cars were damaged and four people were arrested.

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Images on social media showed a crowd - with one person holding an object that looked like a sword - confronting officers and attacking a police car.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the images.

Patel said the incident was particularly wrong given last week's fatal stabbing of three men in a park in Reading in what police said was a terrorism incident.

Three people were also stabbed and a woman was raped when thousands of young people attended a “rave” in northern England this month, one of a number of such illegal events to take place recently.