A bagpiper has been charged with three counts of assault on an emergency worker following a Cenotaph clash with police on Remembrance Sunday.
Ben Buckland, 47, who served in the Scots Guards and is a former UKIP council candidate, was charged following an alleged incident on Whitehall, London, on November 8.
It came after dozens of veterans gathered at the memorial, where police were enforcing strict coronavirus restrictions.
Footage emerged online of a confrontation between a piper and police, who had formed a barricade around the monument.
The Metropolian Police confirmed that Buckland, of Romford, had now been charged and is set to appear in court.
A police statement said: “Ben Buckland was charged by postal requisition and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, May 6.
“These charges relate to an attempted breach of police cordons on Whitehall during Remembrance Sunday events on November 8, 2020, involving three Territorial Support Group (TSG) officers.”
People were warned to stay away from last year’s Remembrance Sunday event amid fears the services could spread coronavirus among veterans.
Only a limited number of people were permitted to attend the traditional 11am service at London’s Cenotaph as opposed to the thousands who usually line the streets.
Armed forces veterans, members of the royal family and international leaders were the only people permitted to attend the socially distanced commemorations.
It was the first time in the Cenotaph’s 100-year history that the tribute to all those who died in conflict had been closed off.
