Police appeal to identify man after female officer kicked in the head at protest
(Picture: Metropolitan Police)A female police officer was knocked to the floor and kicked in the head by protestors at an anti-lockdown demonstration in London, police say.
Detectives investigating the alleged incident have released an image of a man they want to identify.
The female officer had to be carried away by colleagues after the incident on June 14 during a protest in Parliament Square and Whitehall against the extension of Covid restrictions.
The protest came after Boris Johnson announced that June 21 Freedom Day would be delayed by up to four weeks due to concerns over the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Officers intervened in the protest shortly before 8pm to encourage people to move out of the road so that it could be reopened to vehicles, but some people refused, which lead to two people being arrested on suspicion of obstructing the highway.
As officers escorted them towards police vans at King Charles Street, they were attacked by a group of protesters who tried to free one of the detainees.
The female officer was injured when she was pushed to the ground and kicked during the protests.
Footage from the incident has been analysed by Metropolitan Police and officers have identified a man they want to identify and speak to.
The officer suffered “superficial” injuries, police said.
