Violence breaks out at St George's Day event in central London

Violence has broken out at a St George's Day event in central London.

The Metropolitan Police released footage showing a group of men - some draped in St George's flags - clashing with officers in Whitehall.

At one point in the footage, a man appears to hit a police horse with an umbrella.

The Met had earlier warned that those attending the event were expected to include "far right groups and groups linked to football clubs travelling from elsewhere in the UK".

Shortly after 2pm, the force posted on X: "The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.

"There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall.

"When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon."

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