Four people were arrested in Brighton during a protest about the coronavirus restrictions today (Saturday 12 December), Sussex Police said.
The force said: “Police made four arrests during a protest march attended by around 250 people in Brighton city centre on Saturday (12 December).
“Officers were aware of the planned event and had urged people to adhere to the national guidance and help prevent the spread of the virus.
“Protests are exempt under the Health Protection (Cornonavirus Restrictions) Regulations 2020 but only if certain criteria are met by the organiser.
“The legislation requires the organiser to have carried out a risk assessment and ensure all reasonable measures to guarantee those attending will limit the risk of the transmission of coronavirus.
“Officers were present at the event and continued to engage with those taking part.
“However, two men aged 57 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of assaulting two police officers who suffered minor injuries.
“One man aged 61 was detained on suspicion of a committing a public order offence and another man aged 25 was arrested on suspicion of breaching covid legislation.
“They are currently in custody.”
Chief Superintendent Jane Derrick said: “We still remain in a global pandemic and there are rules and regulations in place to protect our communities and help prevent the spread of the virus.
“People have the right to protest and this is a well-established and key part of our democracy.
“However, coronavirus is a deadly disease and there are restrictions in place to prevent its spread and ensure our local business can remain open for trading.
“We made four arrests today and we are continuing to investigate the organisation of this event to determine whether there have been any further breaches of the covid legislation.
“We would like to thank the community of Brighton for their patience while this event took place which caused some disruption to the city centre.”
And traffic came to a standstill at the Clock Tower, while those birdbrained idiots were making a nuisance of themselves. Maybe they will regret it if, and when, they or their relatives or friends get ill, or die, of the coronavirus. And those arrested deserve heavy sentences.