MARCH MAYHEM
Angry anti-lockdown protesters clash with cops at Bristol demo – as Piers Corbyn is detained by police
ANTI-lockdown protesters have clashed with cops in Bristol as Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers was detained while the crowd chanted "shame on you".
At least 14 people have been arrested - including one for assaulting a police officer - as pictures showed cops detaining a number of maskless protesters.
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Mr Corbyn appears to have been led away by police after speaking at the protest this afternoon.
He branded lockdown a "pack of lies" and warned of the "New World Order" - a common trope in conspiracy theories.
He also accused the Labour Party of "treachery" and said Labour is acting as they did "before Hitler got into power".
"We want our lives back, we want our jobs back, we want the economy back, we want my brother back in the Labour party," he ranted.
He tweeted before the event he would be attending as he urged people to "BREAK ALL LOCKDOWNS" in all caps.
Cops forced their way through the crowd as protesters appeared to try and shepherd the 73-year-old climate change denier away from them.
Video shows him being led away by a group of police officers as a man with a mega phone screams "let him go" and the crowd chants "shame on you".
Pictures show Mr Corbyn later speaking to an officer next to a police van.
The protests came as authorities warned Bristol is at a ";very critical point" as infections continue to rise, reports .
Around 200 people flouted national lockdown rules as they marched through the centre of Bristol waving placards with anti-lockdown messages.
An anti-lockdown protest was also held in Liverpool.
"Fear is the currency of control" one banner homemade read in Bristol, while another says "stand up, take your freedom back".
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Who is Piers Corbyn?
PIERS Corbyn is the elder brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The 73-year-old, from Southwark, south London, is a well known climate change denier and also claims the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax.
He also promotes the conspiracy theories around the 5G mobile network.
Mr Corbyn was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and grew up at the family home Yew Tree Manor.
He has a masters degree in Astrophysics from the University of London.
Mr Corbyn runs forecasting service WeatherAction which other alternative predictions for the weather.
On his Twitter he describes himself as a "world-leading"; weather and climate forecaster.
He boasts that his weather forecasting system relies on monitoring activity on the solar surface.
Scientists have argued this has minimal impact on the Earth's atmosphere and the weather.
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Bristol is the only place in the south to be marked as one of England's 50 worst coronavirus hotspots.
The city had the 33rd-highest rate of coronavirus infections per 100,000 people in the week to November 5.
Bristol Police tweeted they are urging people protesting to "go home" and branded the event "unlawful".
Protesters gathered at around midday on College Green as they ignored pleas from police to cancel the march.
Cops warned the organisers they could be fined £10,000.
And anyone caught participating in a gathering of more than 30 people can be fined £200 according to national rules.
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Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that 14 people have been arrested - including one person who had been arrested for assaulting an officer.
ASPolice Bristol tweeted: "Covid-19 is deadly and the restrictions are in place to prevent its spread."
Pictures from the protest show mounted police and dozens of officers wearing masks on the scene.
Cops can be seen carrying people off and leading them away amid the clashes.
'COVID 1984'
Placards waved by protesters warned of "Covid 1984" and others waved signs reading "F*** The New World Order".
Others had banners reading "power with the people"; and "freedom over fear" as they ignored the rules.
One family was there with a young girl who carried a sign reading "I want to hug my nanny".
Covid-19 has so far killed more than 50,000 people in Britain and is killing hundreds of people every day as the UK faces a bleak winter.
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One protestor, dressed in a yellow coat, said: "We are not here to push a different kind of voice of what's happening. We're not here to be the next mainstream media, we're here today to make noise.
"That's the reason we're here the same as every other person around the world who is walking out on the streets today to make some noise.
"We've had enough."
Another protestor, who was with her family at the protest, said: "They're not researching. If you were diagnosed with cancer, you'd want a second opinion.
"You'd search for a second opinion, surely. Nobody is - they're just accepting that it's the truth and it's not, it's lies.
"It's not hard to find the truth."
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Anti-lockdown group Stand Up Bristol - which has 2,800 members on Facebook - organised today's march.
Aron Watlon, who refused to close his tattoo parlour Holey Skin during the second lockdown, was due to speak to protesters
He has been issued with a fine by the council, but continues to insist he does not "consent" to the rules designed to save lives.
Lockdown sceptics have regularly marched through the UK despite the government warnings over the deadly virus
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Ahead of the protest Chief Inspector Mark Runacres said: “We fully recognise the important right to freedom of expression and right to assemble but there is a deadly virus which has killed more than 50,000 people in the UK which simply cannot be ignored.
“The Government has passed legislation for a reason which is to prevent further loss of life and we have a legal and moral duty to uphold these laws.
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“Officers have spoken with Stand Up Bristol and have made every effort to explain the situation which makes it even more disappointing that they continue to press ahead with their plans."
He added: “We will not stand by and allow a small minority to endanger the health of the vast majority who have sacrificed so much to protect others.”
England’s lockdown should end on December 2 and Tier 3 restrictions did work, SAGE advisers say
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