London statue defenders singing Rule Britannia clash with cops

Several lines of police are  facing up against around 200 demonstrators in London near the cenotaph. Protesters continue to shout and some are still trying to push through the barriers, The Guardian reports.

More police are arriving to support those at the barrier, including at least two with police dogs. There is a large amount of broken glass on the street behind the officers after bottles were thrown, and a small number of protesters continue to guard the cenotaph itself within the police cordon.

Mark Whiteof Sky News said there had already been "violent scuffles" near the boarded-up statue of Sir Winston Churchill adding "there are some elements within here who have already clashed with the police."

Counter-demonstrators clashed with police close to Westminster Bridge, with glass bottles thrown towards the officers and their vans.

Large crowds gathered in Parliament Square and marched towards the covered Churchill monument.

Some of them sang Rule Britannia and the national anthem and started banging on the sides of the covering, claiming they were there to protect statues from Black Lives Matters protesters.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described the clashes with police as "thoroughly unacceptable thuggery,'' Sky News reports.