Home secretary Priti Patel has condemned acts of “unacceptable thuggery” by anti-Black Lives Matter protesters who have clashed with police in London.
Hundreds of mostly white men descended on Parliament Square on Saturday after far-right groups, such as Britain First, called on supporters to guard statues of historical figures.
“Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law,” Ms Patel wrote on Twitter, in response to a video of clashes between protesters and the police.
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“Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated.”
She added: “Coronavirus remains a threat to us all. Go home to stop the spread of this virus and save lives.”
The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square was boarded up earlier this week over concerns that it could be vandalised by anti-racism groups due to the former prime minister’s controversial racial views.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said on Saturday that statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi had also been boarded up due to the threat of attacks from far-right extremists.
Mr Khan said the Metropolitan Police had obtained intelligence which showed far-right groups were planning to come to the capital to damage monuments of black and Asian historical figures.
BLM organisers had urged supporters to avoid anti-racism rallies in central London this weekend due to safety fears over the potential for violent clashes with far-right groups.
Many of the anti-BLM demonstrators on Saturday were seen drinking and clashing with police in riot gear, with members filmed shouting abuse at officers.
Some members of the crowd were also filmed chanting: “Winston Churchill, he’s one of our own”.
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Although anti-racism protesters were urged to stay away from central London, BLM demonstrations took place in Belfast, Brighton, Glasgow and Bristol on Saturday.
Protests against police brutality and racism have erupted in the UK and across the world following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by an officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last month.
Statues of historical figures have become a flashpoint for demonstrations after a monument to slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and dumped into Bristol harbour last week.
Additional reporting by PA
