Six people stabbed after Arsenal's victory parade descends into violence
Six people were stabbed, three were sexually assaulted and 10 officers were attacked after Arsenal's victory parade descended into violence, police said.
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What began as a day of celebration as hundreds of thousands of fans lined the streets of north London was later marred by chaos sparked by a handful of aggressors after most of the crowds had dispersed.
A total of 24 people were arrested after more than 500 officers were deployed across the event on Sunday, which was attended by up to a million people according to some estimates.
Officers dealt with six stabbings on the parade footprint after the event had finshed, the Metropolitan Police said.
Most of the victims were not seriously injured, but one man in his 20s was initially taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being stabbed shortly before 8:30pm in Hornsey Road, N7.
He is now in a stable condition.
Three people were also arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, while 10 were arrested don suspicion of assault on police.
One officer suffered a slash wound to the hand and another was hit on the head, both by objects thrown, the Met said.
Offences also included drunk and disorderly, possession of knives and drugs, and grievous bodily harm.
A Section 60 order was issued overnight as the force tried to prevent further offences, giving officers additional stop and search powers.
Commander Stuart Bell, who led the Met’s public order operation this weekend, 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.”