Furious Priti Patel slams ‘unacceptable thuggery’ as statue-row protesters clash with riot cops

PRITI Patel has slammed the “unacceptable thuggery” of statue-row protesters who charged at riot cops this afternoon.

Far-right groups were filmed launching fireworks and hurling glass bottles at officers in central London protests today.

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Hundreds were seen at protests outside Parliament, with far-right groups claiming they were there to ‘protect’ the Cenotaph and Winston Churchill’s statue.

The demonstration quickly turned violent, with thugs filmed lobbing glass bottles at officers on horseback and launching fireworks into lines of police.

The Home Secretary tweeted: “Thoroughly unacceptable thuggery. Any perpetrators of violence or vandalism should expect to face the full force of the law. Violence towards our police officers will not be tolerated.

“Coronavirus remains a threat to us all.

“Go home and stop the spread of this virus and save lives.”

Police have told protesters they must be off the streets by 5pm today as they fear clashes between anti-racism demonstrators and far-right groups who have surrounded monuments in Westminster.

Statues across Westminster were boarded up ahead of this weekend after Winston Churchill’s tribute was targeted by protesters who spray-painted “was a racist” on it.

Ms Patel said the decision to cover Churchill’s statue was a “sad reflection” on Mayor Sadiq Khan.

“We should free Churchill, a hero of our nation, who fought against fascism and racism in this country and Europe,” she told the .

“Had he called out the minority in particular who were subversive in a peaceful protest, and had he pulled up the thuggery in the right way, we would not be seeing the boarding up of our national hero.”

The Prime Minister said it was “shameful” that Churchill’s statue needed to be covered, but recognised that some of his views would be “unacceptable” today.

He said: “The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country – and the whole of Europe – from a fascist and racist tyranny.

“It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should today be at risk of attack by violent protesters.

“Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.”

‘I DON’T CONFORM’

It comes after the Home Secretary slammed Labour MPs for sending a “racist” letter to “silence” her.

Ms Patel spoke out after 32 Labour MPs sent her a letter to accuse her of “gaslighting” ethnic minorities in a Commons debate.

The Home Secretary told the : “They are trying to silence me because I don’t conform to their version of what it is to be an ethnic minority.

“They think they have a licence to speak for everybody from an ethnic minority community.

“That is not the case. It is simply not the case. We’re all different. We’re all individuals.

“What they are saying is racist in itself, and I don’t think we should lose sight of that.”

The letter, sent by Naz Shah, the party’s shadow minister for community, and co-signed by her colleagues, highlighted their “dismay at the way you used your heritage to gaslight the very real racism faced by black people and communities across the UK.”