UK Police Arrest Thug for Setting Union Jack Flag on Fire at London BLM Protest
Activist arrested for climbing onto memorial to set fire to British flag during violence
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A 20-year-old woman has been arrested by UK police on suspicion of lighting a British Union Jack flag on fire at a London memorial during violent Black Lives Matter protests earlier this month.
The young thug went viral after videos of the attempts at desecrating the flag were shared across social media.
Police say the woman was tracked down and arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for trying to set light to the Union flag at The Cenotaph war memorial on Whitehall in London.
The war memorial is dedicated to the millions of lives lost during the First World War and footage of the incident triggered a widespread backlash.
It took place on June 7 as protesters clashed with police - leaving 26 officers injured.
On the following day, the monument to Winston Churchill in Westminster was also defaced and daubed with the words "was a racist" on its plinth.
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A spokesman for the Met Police said: "A 20-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in connection with an incident at the Cenotaph on Sunday, 7 June.
"She has since been bailed to a later date in July."
The protest came as part of a broader movement inspired by the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that started in the United States following the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25.
National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt previously said more than 130 officers have been "injured in one way or another" in the demonstrations.
Some 137 people have been arrested, while others have been fined for breaches of COVID-19 lockdown rules.
Police forces in Avon and Somerset have come under fire for being unable to prevent protesters from tearing down the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, with Home Secretary Priti Patel said to have had a "firm" talk with police chiefs from the area.
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Since Colston's removal, there have been calls for local authorities to intervene and determine whether monuments of historical figures should be removed based on questionable background related to the colonial era.
Topple The Racists' website has named 78 statues and monuments that "celebrate slavery and racism."
Huw Thomas, the leader of Cardiff Council, backed the removal of a statue of Sir Thomas Picton, a slaveholder and military leader.
He described the monument to the former governor of Trinidad as an "affront" to black people.
Edinburgh council leader Adam McVey said he would feel "no sense of loss" if a statue to Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of slavery, was removed.
