16 Jan 2021 | 12:27 PM UTC
UK: Anti-lockdown activists to protest at Victoria Square Jan. 16
Anti-lockdown activists to protest in Birmingham, UK, from 1300 Jan. 16. Increased security, localized disruptions likely.
Event
Activists denouncing measures imposed to control the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) plan to protest in central Birmingham Jan. 16. Participants will gather at Victoria Square from 1300; attendance is likely to be in the hundreds.
Additional police will almost certainly deploy to monitor the action; related security measures will likely prompt localized transport disruptions in the protest area. Authorities have called on individuals not to attend the action as it will be a breach of current national COVID-19 measures. Police will likely attempt to disperse the protest and may arrest noncompliant participants. Isolated clashes between protesters and police cannot be ruled out.
Advice
Avoid the protest as a routine security precaution and to mitigate associated disruptions. Heed instructions from security services and leave the area at the first sign of a confrontation. Allow extra time for travel around Victoria Square the afternoon of Jan. 16.
