Celebrations around Arsenal’s Premier League trophy parade gave way to violence in the hours that followed, with London’s Metropolitan Police confirming six people were stabbed and 24 people arrested over the course of the event.
Thousands of Arsenal supporters packed the streets around the Emirates Stadium in London yesterday to watch the team parade the title.
The Met said it deployed more than 500 officers, and that 10 people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting police officers, including one suspect accused of using racist abuse.
During the operation, one officer suffered a slash wound to the hand, while another was struck on the head by an object thrown from the crowd, police said.
Arrests were also made for a range of alleged offences, including sexual assault, gross bodily harm, possession of a knife, and being drunk and disorderly.
Police added that four vans parked in Therberton Street, Islington, were damaged, left with broken lights and dents.
Arsenal fans celebrate around the Emirates Stadium during the parade
Safety concerns also prompted a warning from London Fire Brigade, which urged fans not to climb onto rooftops after crews were called to rescue 75 people who became stuck at height.
By evening, after most of the crowds had dispersed, six stabbing incidents were reported, the Met said.
Most of those injured did not suffer serious harm, but a man in his 20s was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition and has since been stabilised.
Officers were granted additional stop and search powers overnight, police said.
Commander Stuart Bell, who led the Met’s public order operation for the parade, said: “I would like to thank the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Arsenal supporters who attended the day to celebrate safely and responsibly.
“There was a police presence along the route throughout the event, supporting event organisers and stewarding operations.
“However, we had been clear that violence and other criminality would not be tolerated and unfortunately there were pockets of anti-social behaviour and incidents where officers needed to intervene, including assaults on their colleagues.
“As the evening progressed and the majority of the crowds made their way home, there was sadly further violence, including gang-related incidents.
“Officers were swiftly on scene to each stabbing and investigations are ongoing.”
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Islington, said: “This, of course, was a huge and significant event for our community and Arsenal fans more widely and we worked closely with the local authority and other partners to plan for the event and then throughout the day.
“Our officers are back out on patrol today to provide visible reassurance and our investigation teams are working hard to identify offenders and bring them to justice.
“We stand with our local communities against violence.”
