The eleven-year-old was ‘accidentally’ caught in the PAVA spray as Met Police officers arrested four people at the protest in the Canary Wharf shopping centre today
An 11-year-old boy was caught in pepper spray dispersed by police officers after an anti-asylum protest moved into a major shopping centre in London.
Shocking images showed a child having his eyes and face wiped as masked protesters clashed with cops inside the Canary Wharf shopping centre on Sunday afternoon. Cops arrested four people in a day of chaos as a protest on the Isle of Dogs, in East London, moved to the mall. The Met Police said they were forced to step in after “a small group became aggressive towards members of the public and police” at around 4.30pm.
Police revealed they made four arrests for common assault by a protester on a member of the public, possession of class A & B drugs, assault on police/public order offences & failure to disperse, following the anti-asylum protest in East London today.
One officer was “punched in the face” as cops worked to disperse and arrest “aggressive” protestors but the cop did not suffer significant injuries. Officers also used PAVA spray to help arrest people in the shopping centre.
An image showed a child covering his face as a masked man appeared to help him wipe his eyes out after being caught in the line of pepper spray. Met Police said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally sprayed given the “density of the crowds in the area”, according to the Express.
A witness on X said: “Disgusting scenes in Canary Wharf with Police pepper spraying children. Absolutely appalling behaviour from an out of control police force.” Another photo from Canary Wharf showed a female security officer dabbing her eyes after she was also caught in pepper spray administered by police outside Waitrose in the mall.
The Met Police said: “Officers witnessed an assault by a protester on a member of the public inside Canary Wharf shopping centre. The suspect was immediately arrested by officers who used PAVA spray.
“We are aware other protesters and members of the public may have been temporarily affected by the use of PAVA given the density of the crowds in the area.”
Earlier, police confirmed children were presents when they clashed with demonstrators, saying: “We are aware there are young children in the protest area and while we deal with any criminality our officers are ensuring the safety of them is paramount.”
A Section 60AA order, giving officers the power to order the removal of face coverings for the the Isle of Dogs area south of the A1261, has been put in place as well as a dispersal order. Both orders last until midnight, police said on Sunday evening.
Commander Adam Slonecki, in charge of policing London this weekend, said: “This afternoon we have unfortunately seen more disorder, following the five arrests made yesterday in the West Drayton area. We had plenty of officers on the ground who moved in swiftly to deal with the criminality that occurred inside and outside the shopping centre. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.
“Today’s protest saw many community members attend, including women and children, and we worked to ensure the safety of those there to peacefully represent their views. Those who arrive at protests masked and intent on causing trouble will continue to be dealt with robustly at future protests.
“We remain in the area to deter any further disorder and provide reassurance to local residents and businesses while also continuing our investigation into offences committed this afternoon.”