Four Met Police officers injured in anti-vaccine protest
- Published
Protesters tried to storm the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) headquarters in central London
Four officers have been injured during clashes with anti-vaccine protesters in central London, the Met Police said.
Scotland Yard tweeted, external: "A number of protesters have become violent towards police... This is unacceptable."
Demonstrators tried to storm the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) headquarters in central London. Protesters then moved to South Kensington.
Officers arrested 10 people in connection with the protests.
It comes as an extra 200,000 teens with underlying conditions became eligible for two vaccine doses.
But the UK's vaccine advisory body has refused to give the green light to vaccinating healthy children aged 12-15 on health grounds alone.
The MHRA is the government body responsible for approving the coronavirus vaccines.
Andrew Wood, councillor for Canary Wharf, said leaflets were being handed out about the vaccination of children.
'Police were ready'
He said: "The police have been here all week because we were expecting Extinction Rebellion, so most of the police and security's been outside the banks.
"So whether the anti-vaxxers realised this or not the police were ready for a protest, it's just that it was anti-vaxxers not Extinction Rebellion who turned up this afternoon."
Social media footage shows demonstrators being held back by police as they try to get into the MHRA's Cabot Square offices in Canary Wharf on Friday afternoon.
Crowds were later seen leaving the area towards the Underground station.
The protest comes after journalists working for ITN were trapped in their offices when a group of anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters forced their way into the broadcaster's London headquarters on 23 August.
That followed an incident two week before when a crowd thought to be made up of anti-vaccine protesters tried to gain access to the BBC's old headquarters in White City, west London.