Published May 29, 2021, 3:59pm|Updated May 29, 2021, 11:51pm
Ugly scenes unfolded as a huge group of people tried to barge past police (Picture: Rex / Story Picture Agency)

Hundreds of anti-vaxxers stormed a shopping centre in West London and clashed with police on Saturday.

The demonstrators had earlier gathered in Parliament Square to protest against Covid restrictions and the vaccine rollout before marching to Westfield in Shepherds Bush.

Pictures and videos from Westfield show ugly scenes unfolding as a huge group of people try to barge past police and enter the building.

Some lit red flares inside the shopping centre while others were chanting ‘freedom’ and singing.

Witnesses claimed the shops at the facility shut as staff members sheltered inside.

However, police officers soon gained control of the situation and moved the demonstrators on.

Dozens of police vans could be seen outside the centre, with groups of officers on guard to stop people entering as protests kicked off inside.

A protester stands in front of the police as they try to hold back people from storming the Westfield shopping centre (Picture: Rex)
Hundreds barged past police and made their way into the building (Picture: Rex)
Thousands of people came out in central London before a crowd marched west to Westfields (Picture: Rex)

At about 7pm the Met said that the situation was ‘calm’ and that the protesters were dispersing.

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Earlier in the day, thousands of people gathered in central London to voice their opposition to the coronavirus vaccine rollout and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

A London bus was also covered in Covid conspiracy material during the protests.Images show the double decker plastered in stickers on its front and side that read: ‘There Is No Pandemic’ ‘Stay Free’ and ‘Truth Will Win’.

One picture appears to show a bus driver stepping out of the vehicle in Trafalgar Square before removing some of the stickers.

A London Bus is covered in anti-vaccine stickers near Trafalgar Square(Picture: PA)
The stickers told people not to get a vaccine and claimed Covid is a hoax (Picture: PA)
One picture appears to show a bus driver stepping out of the vehicle and removing some of the stickers (Picture: PA)
The bus was plastered in stickers amid a protest against the vaccine roll out (Picture: Getty)

Some at the deomonstration claimed the pandemic is a hoax while others carried placards reading ‘My body, my choice’, and protested against the idea of vaccine passports.

Others held signs which read ‘We do not consent’, ‘You have no power over us’, and ‘we’re not guinea pigs’.

Several people set off smoke bombs and one launched a firework during the protest.

One man, who did not give his name said he had come ‘because I want to be free and I want you to be free and the Government are lying to us’.

Another said she had attended because the press ‘are lying to us’.  

By around 1.20pm, the crowd had started to disperse from Parliament Square, heading up Whitehall past Leicester Square and towards Hyde Park.

The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account posted at around 4.30pm that certain roads around Shepherds Bush had been closed due to the ongoing demonstrations.

In the early evening, a group staged a demonstration in the Shepherds Bush site of the Westfield shopping centre.

At around 6.30pm, the Met said: ‘The 3rd demo is now at Westfield and is causing significant disruption to the local community and businesses, police are at the location.

‘The MPS strongly urge those who are taking part in this demo to go home. Failure to do so may result in enforcement action being taken.’

Crowds gather in London for the Unite For Freedom demonstration (Picture: Avalon)
A demonstrator holds a placard during an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest (Picture: Reuters)

The protest comes just one day after Johnson and Johnson’s single dose covid vaccine got the green light from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

It is the fourth coronavirus vaccine that has been approved for use, following ones made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna.  

Vaccines are seen as more crucial than ever amid the spread of the India variant of coronavirus. Ministers are urging people in hotspot areas to come forward and get the jab to stamp out the strain, which is feared to be more infectious.

Some scientists are urging to government to delay the final lifting of restrictions on June 21 until more people are vaccinated.

Boris Johnson has said it is too early to say what his decision will be but that he will provide an update on June 14.

Hundreds participate in an anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest in central London (Picture: Reuters)
People brought placards voicing opposition to vaccine passports (Picture: Reuters)
Some set off flares as they marched in the capital(Picture: Reuters)
Demonstrators called for an end of lockdown restrictions and related measures including mask-wearing (Picture: Getty)

Meanwhile, hundreds of Kill The Bill demonstrators also gathered in London’s Russell Squareon Saturday to voice opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Critics claim the legislation will crack down on the right to protest.

Proposals in the new bill include putting start and finish times on protests and noise limits and a 10 year jail sentence for those who damage statues.

The bill also includes an offence of ‘intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance’, which is aimed at stopping people occupying public spaces and doing things such as hanging off bridges or attaching themselves to monuments.

The Met Police urged people to ‘comply with the restrictions that apply to large gatherings’ in an open letter to those protesting over the weekend.

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