On Sunday 8th November, about 600 protestors had gathered in Piccadilly Gardens in Greater Manchester as the national lockdown rules came into force. Police have reportedly fined 24 people with £200 fines and 20 of these were handed to the Cumbrian group, although none were arrested.
A number of police officers suffered minor injuries at Sunday's event, which included one group of protesters who had travelled from Cumbria. GMP are hunting for the organiser and have vowed to fine them £10,000.
In a statement to the Manchester Evening News, assistant chief constable Mabs Hussain said, "These restrictions are to control the spread of Covid-19 and protect everyone - including you and your loved ones as well as the NHS. Whilst responding to this gathering, a number of officers were injured," he said. This is unacceptable behaviour towards officers who were simply doing their job and protecting people. Investigators will now work to identify those responsible and ensure they face justice."
He also reportedly explained that before and during the protest, officers tried to engage with the organisers and attendees to "explain the restrictions and encourage compliance", but this was ignored.
Around 50 officers were originally deployed and then a 'force response' had to be instigated to disperse the crowd.
