This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/20/met-condems-unacceptable-disorder-at-hyde-park-water-fight

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Met condemns 'unacceptable' disorder at Hyde Park water fight Met urges people not to attend unlicensed events after clashes
(about 3 hours later)
Police have said they are investigating Tuesday night’s disorder in Hyde Park after a flashmob-style water fight attended by 2,000 revellers descended into violence with one police officer stabbed. Police are urging people not to attend unlicensed events after clashes between officers and hundreds of youths at three separate London locations saw outbreaks of violence in which members of the public and officers were stabbed and a supermarket was looted.
The Met said it was reviewing video footage shot from helicopters and CCTV to find out exactly what happened at the “spontaneous event” promoted through social media that ended with officers coming under attack after they attempted to stop participants setting up a sound system. Police are investigating the disturbances on Tuesday at a party in Hyde Park, an unlicensed music event at a Hackney council estate and a water fight in Burgess Park, south London, on the hottest day of the year. All three unlicensed events were promoted on social media.
Five officers were injured, including the officer who was stabbed and a second officer who was bottled. Both received hospital treatment but have since been discharged. Related: Croydon bar accuses police of banning Jamaican bashment music
The violence at Burgess Park also spilled out to a nearby supermarket, where some of a crowd of about 200 people looted the shop and two customers were injured.
Scotland Yard said it did not think the disturbances at Hyde Park, the Stamford Hill estate in Hackney and at Burgess Park were linked but acknowledged the similarities as they urged people to rethink attending unlicensed events.
DCS Simon Messinger said: “While at this stage we do not believe the events at Burgess Park to be linked to disorder elsewhere in London last night, clearly there are similarities, with incidents quickly breaking out amongst a large group of youths.”
At Hyde Park, about 2,000 people attended an event promoted on social media as “Bashment in the park” – a reference to a form of Jamaican music – although police said it was a “spontaneous water fight”.
pic.twitter.com/iv57WJkB0T
Five officers were injured, including one who was stabbed and another bottled, while three members of the public were wounded. Initial reports said two members of the public were stabbed but no further details of their identity or condition were provided.
The Met said officers came under attack after attempting to stop participants setting up a sound system and the force is reviewing video footage shot from helicopters as well as CCTV.
Witness video has since emerged on social media showing some members of the crowd shouting: “Black lives matter,” as the disorder escalated. Another clip, seen by the Guardian, appears to show a man stabbing another man in the middle of the street.
Commander Ben-Julian Harrington said: “If you have any footage that may help, or any information, then please get in touch with us.”Commander Ben-Julian Harrington said: “If you have any footage that may help, or any information, then please get in touch with us.”
Add my snap tho @ Siannacute 💁🏽😂 Harrington said: “What took place wasn’t a group of people out enjoying the sunshine but crime and disorder, which is quite simply unacceptable. Officers are out and about on duty today and we want everyone in London to have a safe and enjoyable day.
A video posted by 16👑.🇯🇲🇬🇭 (@fxckit_xox) on Jul 19, 2016 at 5:04pm PDT “If people are going to go along to unlicensed or spontaneous events then please think very carefully; they are simply not safe. You do not have the protection of attending a well-organised and safe event. Parents and guardians are urged to think carefully about whether these sorts of events are where you want your children to go.”
Witness video has since emerged on social media showing some members of the crowd shouting: “Black lives matter,” as the disorder escalated. A further three members of the public were injured, with initial reports suggesting two had been stabbed, although further details of their identity and condition have not been provided. Police officers remained at Hyde Park until crowds dispersed at approximately 2.20am.
Harrington added that officers in riot gear were deployed as the violence escalated and has called for any mobile phone footage to be handed over. As the disorder in Hyde Park continued, about 500 to 600 youths were gathering in Burgess Park to take part in a water fight advertised via social media.
He said: “What took place wasn’t a group of people out enjoying the sunshine but crime and disorder which is quite simply unacceptable. Officers are out and about on duty today and we want everyone in London to have a safe and enjoyable day. Small groups started fighting around 5.45pm, police said, escalating into a “large disturbance” in the park that spilled out into the nearby streets, with a crowd totalling between 1,000 to 1,500 people.
“If people are going to go along to unlicensed or spontaneous events then please think very carefully; they are simply not safe. Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed, with neither suffering life-threatening injuries although one remains in hospital.
“You do not have the protection of attending a well organised and safe event. Parents and guardians are urged to think carefully about whether these sorts of events are where you want you children to go.” At 8pm, officers were sent to a nearby supermarket on Dunton Road after reports of a group of up to 200 people damaging the store and stealing items. Two female customers suffered minor injuries but did not require medical assistance.
Police officers remained at Hyde Park until crowds dispersed at around 2.20 am. In north London, riot police were being pelted with bottles and debris as they attempted to break up an illegal music event near Malvern House in Stamford Hill. About 400 revellers attended the block party, obstructing the roads to traffic as sound systems were set up in the street.
Elsewhere in London on Tuesday, police were similarly attacked when they attempted to break up an an unlicensed music event attended by 400 people. Police officers spoke to the unlicensed event organisers but the party continued so Scotland Yard deployed the territorial support group, the force’s specially trained unit for dealing with spontaneous public disorder.
Officers ordered people to leave the event at the Stamford Hill estate in Hackney at around 8pm and were met with hurled bottles and other objects, leading to some officers suffering from minor injuries. Three police vans were also damaged. Dramatic images and video emerged on social media showing officers arriving in riot gear with makeshift missiles showering down on them.
Scotland Yard said it was not linking the incident with the disorder in Hyde Park. Police being pelted with objects in #StamfordHill. @NPASLondon circulating above. Video Credit J Allinson pic.twitter.com/DEEPqt0ofS
Earlier this week, flyers had been distributed on social media advertising a free party, which brought hundreds of young people into Hyde Park. A statement from the Met said: “Bottles and objects were thrown at police from the crowds in the area. Some officers suffered minor injuries, none required hospital treatment. Three police vans were also damaged.”
The unofficial event follows large parts of the park being closed to the public last week as the royal parks hosted their British Summer Time concerts, featuring stars such as Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Carole King and Massive Attack.
There had been anger expressed by residents living nearby at the noise of the gigs, and by community activists at the fact what was once a public open space was now being used to make promoters and the royal parks large sums of money while blocking off access to local communities.
Westminster Conservative councillor Glenys Roberts said many residents in areas around Hyde Park felt increasingly disenfranchised by the use of the park during the summer for commercial events, and that free parties could be a response to them.
She added: “The concerts are a great nuisance. Many feel strongly that the park is a free space that should be open to everybody. The concerts do not even seem to make enough money to repair damage to the grass or improve the park for the enjoyment of all.”