Chaos at Westfield London as anti-lockdown anti-jab protesters descend
Demonstrators broke through a police cordon, forcing shops to close
Last updated 30th May 2021
Hundreds of people gathered in central and west London on Saturday to protest against the coronavirus vaccine rollout, some claiming it would bring about a "medical apartheid".
The biggest flashpoint was in the early evening, when a group staged a demonstration at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush.
The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account posted at around 4.30pm that certain roads in the area had been closed due to the demonstrations.
Two hours later it reported "significant disruption":
Social media users reported being "barricaded" into shops as the protesters broke through a police ring around the centre to demonstrate inside.
By 7pm the police say the situation at Westfield was under control.
Some witnesses were puzzled by the protesters' chants:
Earlier, a crowd gathered at Parliament Square in Westminster, with many protesters travelling in from outside the capital.
Some claimed the pandemic is a hoax while others carried placards reading "My body, my choice'', and protested against the idea of vaccine passports.
Several people set off smoke bombs and one launched a firework.
One man, who did not give his name, told the PA news agency he had come "because I want to be free and I want you to be free and the Government are lying to us''.
Another said she had attended because the press "are lying to us''.
By around 1.20pm, the crowd had started to disperse and head up Whitehall.
After the crowd dispersed from Parliament Square, it headed up Whitehall past Leicester Square and towards Hyde Park.
The TV personality Gillian McKeith posted footage of the central London protests online; she said London was "roaring" and "standing up for freedom":
The police say a small number of protesters crossed the line into violence and intimidation: