Six arrested UKIP Walk with Jesus march counter-protests Liverpool | UK | News

Six people were arrested on Saturday, March 21, following the “Walking with Jesus” protest organized by the far-right political party UKIP. The march was due to start from outside Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral after UKIP called on its supporters to “stand with Jesus in Liverpool during Lent” by taking part in a ‘parade’ in the city centre.

Ahead of the march, Liverpool Council leader Major Liam Robinson condemned the planned event and expressed regret at the authorities’ failure to stop it. Senior church leaders in the city also voiced their opposition to the march. They stated that the march was “organised independently of the recognized Christian community in Merseyside and they resist any suggestion that it speaks on our behalf”.

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A post shared on UKIP’s social media pages on 23 February stated that the meeting point would be on the steps of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral at 12pm and the march would start at 1pm.

At 10am this morning, a counter protest organized by Merseyside Stand Up to Racism was already underway; Hundreds of people lined up outside the cathedral and in front of its steps. Liverpool Echo.

A significant police presence was noted in front of the steps leading to the cathedral and a police helicopter had been dispatched, which could be seen hovering over the meeting point, stopping near the crossing point between Mount Pleasant and Hope Street.

UKIP leader Nick Tenconi arrived at around 12.45pm, a quarter of an hour before the scheduled parade. By 1pm there appeared to be around 50 UKIP supporters present, all surrounded by hundreds of counter-protesters.

Those gathered for the march began their march at the appointed time of 1 p.m., but were stopped within seconds by counterprotesters blocking the road to Mount Pleasant. UKIP supporters then retreated to their starting points.

For the next hour, Nick Tenconi and his followers remained at the rendezvous point and remained there until shortly after 2 p.m. They then proceeded down Mount Pleasant’s sidewalk toward Clarence Street.

Police distinguished between UKIP supporters and counter-demonstrators who were clapping and chanting. Many were heard chanting “0-1-5-1, UKIP Do One”.

This march led to many fights until the police broke up again. Counter-demonstrators were asked to stand on Great Orford Street on one side and Pomona Street on the other. In the centre, police formed a perimeter around UKIP supporters standing outside the former Irish Center building.

The standoff lasted approximately 45 minutes before UKIP supporters headed towards Liverpool Lime Street Station.

Merseyside Police have confirmed that six people have been arrested following a ‘planned parade’ by UKIP and a counter-demonstration in Liverpool city center today (21 March).

At 8am this morning, police said they had introduced a Section 60 Order, which will last until 9pm, giving officers additional powers to search people suspected of involvement in crime and disorder. It also includes a Part 60AA permit; This means failure to remove a face mask when requested by a police officer could lead to arrest.

Police said three of the six people arrested were detained:

Chief Inspector Zoe Thornton said: “There was a large police presence in Liverpool city center today to ensure the safety of everyone involved and the public.

“We will never tolerate criminal activity or anti-social behavior and while the vast majority of those who took part did so lawfully and peacefully, six people were arrested and three people were detained.

“A decision was made to impose a Section 60 order and impose conditions, and conditions were also imposed under the Public Order Act 1986. These decisions were not taken lightly in order to reduce the potential risk of violence and prevent intimidation of others.

“As a police force we must support everyone’s right to peaceful protest, while also aiming to keep the peace and ensure public safety. We make detailed and coordinated plans ahead of such events to ensure we can enforce this consistently, fairly and proportionately.”

“We thank our people for their patience throughout the day.”