Children among lockdown protesters at Nottingham march
Police arrest three people at anti-lockdown Covid ‘Freedom Rally’ where hundreds of demonstrators including dozens of children ‘gathered illegally’
- Protesters have voiced opposition to lockdown and a Covid-19 vaccine at rally
- Crowds have marched through Nottingham city centre for a ‘Freedom Rally’
- Nottinghamshire Police followed the crowd, as organisers say Covid is a ‘hoax’
Three people were arrested after hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters including dozens of children marched through Nottingham in a Covid-19 ‘Freedom Rally’.
Crowds demonstrated through the city’s Old Market Square, along its Embankment and gathered outside the BBC building this afternoon – just days after the city was plunged into Tier 4 lockdown measures.
Organisers could be heard chanting anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination messages as they blocked roads and demonstrated outside buildings, with little social distancing as they stood next to children.
Some demonstrators held up signs that read: ‘4,091 Covid deaths this week. Let’s party.’
Nottinghamshire Police told MailOnline three people were arrested and 12 fixed penalty notices were handed out amid the ‘illegal gathering in the city centre’.
They added that Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are currently in Tier 4, meaning people can only meet one other person outdoors and households are not allowed to mix indoors.
‘The gathering was a planned protest which under current restrictions is also not allowed in order to stop the virus from spreading,’ the spokesperson added.
Police were at the scene of a march through Nottingham city centre this afternoon, as demonstrators declared the Covid-19 pandemic as a ‘hoax’
Demonstrators claimed the Covid vaccine was in fact ‘hydrogen with a bio sensor’ as they stood outside the BBC headquarters
The demonstration in Nottingham this afternoon came to an end after it started raining, according to local police
According to the Nottingham Post, one of the organisers was heard shouting: ‘Hydrogen is going in with a bio sensor with that needle. We need people not to take that needle.
‘Number one, save people from that needle. Wake those people up.’
Nottinghamshire Police have been monitoring the march, but no arrests are thought to have been made.
The protest came just days after Nottinghamshire was plunged into Tier 4 measures on New Year’s Eve – but demonstrators are said to have dispersed after it started raining.
Addressing the officers, organisers claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic – which has killed more than 75,000 in the UK – is a ‘hoax’.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper from Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘We had an increased police presence this afternoon as we looked to maintain security and offer reassurance, as well as engaging with those present at the protest including organisers.
‘The police were on hand to make sure the wider public were kept safe and secure and preserve any evidence of any breaches before dispersing the crowd.
‘As a consequence we have made three arrests and issued 12 fixed penalty notices so far, with the likelihood this will rise.
‘We will continue to gather evidence for anyone who breaches coronavirus restrictions.
‘The vast majority of residents in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are continuing to adhere to the Coronavirus legislation and I thank them for that.
None of the demonstrators are thought to have been arrested during today’s protest
Nottinghamshire Police monitored the crowd’s behaviour as it marched through the city today
Today’s protest branded Covid-19 a hoax, while official figures declared there had been a further 54,990 confirmed cases in the UK
‘The new strain of the virus is everywhere including here in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and we need people to understand they have a responsibility to stop it spreading.
‘Large gatherings should not be happening. We ask anyone thinking of attending or organising one not to do so.
‘We have been clear from the outset that our approach during the Coronavirus outbreak has been to engage with members of the public, explain the current regulations and encourage people to follow the instructions. We have only used enforcement when it has been absolutely necessary to do so.
‘I would like to thank our officers for the professionalism they have shown throughout today in engaging with organisers of the protest.
‘The fact that our officers are having to attend gatherings such as these where the disease can spread and have a massive impact on our communities is unacceptable.
‘Our priority is to ensure the safety of you – the public, to keep disruption to a minimum as we look to facilitate protests and to deal positively with any criminal activity.
‘As always, if you have any concerns about any activity you see or believe a crime has been committed, please speak to an available officer or call Nottinghamshire Police using the 101 non-emergency number.’
As hundreds gathered in Nottingham to protest lockdown measures, growing pressure on the NHS is expected to see patients from London and the South East moved to the Midlands to cope with demand
Protesters of all ages gathered in Nottingham this afternoon to protest Covid-19 measures – but dispersed as the rain rolled in
Official figures show there had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up 80 per cent from last week’s case figure of 30,501, while the number of deaths had increased by 43 per cent from last Sunday to 454
It comes as official figures released today show there had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up 80 per cent from last week’s case figure of 30,501, while the number of deaths had increased by 43 per cent.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate show there have now been 91,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
The figures do not represent results from the whole UK due to data on deaths not being reported by Scotland on Sunday.
NHS hospitals in the West Country are now bracing for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London under emergency plans, with trusts in the capital and the south-east preparing to transfer patients to the south-west.
Patients in the east of England will be moved to the Midlands while the massive Nightingale field hospital at the London Excel Centre is also expected to reopen within a fortnight amid warnings the health service could collapse in the event that ‘very, very tired’ staff are unable to cope with a deluge of cases.
Today’s protest came amid calls from Labour leader Keir Starmer to announce a third national lockdown to curb climbing Covid-19 cases
Parents took children to today’s protest in Nottingham, as organisers urged people not to take the potentially-lifesaving Covid-19 vaccine
Yesterday Britain confirmed it had suffered 4091 Covid-19 deaths in a week, demonstrators held up placards with the figure, adding: ‘Let’s party’
Speaking after protests in Nottingham, Keir Starmer called for draconian countermeasures to come into force within 24 hours, condemning the PM for ‘hinting’ at action while dragging his heels
People as young as 30 are said to be suffering from coronavirus in intensive care units across the country, it was said today
Nottinghamshire Police followed hundreds of protesters through the city centre earlier today
The crowd blocked the outside of the BBC building in Nottingham today to tell people Covid-19 is a ‘hoax’
Two thirds of England’s population is now in Tier 4, with the remainder living in Tier 3 lockdowns. Only the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, is in the looser Tier 2
Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, today claimed that people as young as 30 are suffering from coronavirus in ICU wards and claimed that ‘younger people will die from Covid’.
The surge in cases and deaths could lead to a third national lockdown as Sir Keir Starmer today demanded a new blanket squeeze to control the virus while Boris Johnson admitted tougher measures are ‘probable’.
The Labour leader has dramatically called for draconian countermeasures to come into force within 24 hours, condemning the PM for ‘hinting’ at action while dragging his heels.
