Dramatic scenes as police clash with crowd in Camberwell after protests turn violent

Dramatic scenes as police clash with crowd in Camberwell after protests turn violent

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A protest near a theatre in south London has turned violent with police officers coming under attack.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed officers were in attendance at the event in Camberwell Road in Southwark. They said the protest close to The Lighthouse Theatre was related to tensions amongst the Eritrean community.

Footage shared online shows members of the public wavings sticks and throwing barriers at riot police.

A statement shared by the Met’s Southward police team on X said: “Officers are on scene in Camberwell Road, SE5 where there is a protest with approximately 50 people gathered outside a private venue.

“Additional officers are on their way to the location to assist with the demonstration.”

The dispersal order was brought in around the protest by the local police team just before 2.30pm, and will last until 7am tomorrow. Under the order, officers have the power to remove people from the area.

However, footage from around 4pm showed an apparent “stand off” with officers.

Videos shared online also show lined police in the road with several riot vans in the area. A man can be heard using a mega phone to speak to a gathered crowd in another video.

It’s been suggested on social media that the protest centred on a meeting being held by the Eritrean embassy, and there was an initial confrontation between two groups.

The spokesperson for the Met Police told The Independent: “The protest is related to tensions amongst the Eritrean community.”

Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in Africa, located on the Red Sea coast between Ethiopia and Sudan. The one-party state won its independence from Ethioipa after a 30-year war in 1993, but has since been impacted by prolonged periods of conflict.

Thousands have fled the country in recent years, with some arriving in the UK.

In September last year, a demonstration was held outside the Eritrean Embassy in Islington against the country’s occupation of the Tigray region. The Met Police made 15 arrests for offences including public order.

And in August of this year, anti-Eritrean government protesters held a protest during a cultural festival in Sweden.

This is a breaking news story – more to follow

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