London bus covered in anti-vaccine stickers during protest
29 May 2021, 16:31 | Updated: 29 May 2021, 23:11
A London bus has been covered in anti-vaccine stickers near Trafalgar Square during a protest in the city centre against the vaccination rollout.
Images show the vehicle plastered in conspiracy theory stickers on its front and side that read: "There Is No Pandemic", "Stay Free" and "Truth Will Win".
One picture appears to show a London bus driver stepping out of the iconic red double-decker before removing some of the stickers.
It came as hundreds of people gathered in central London on Saturday for a demonstration against Covid-19 jabs.
Vast swathes of a crowd that had descended upon Parliament Square travelled from outside the capital.
Some claimed the pandemic was a hoax and demonstrated against the idea of vaccine passports.
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Others carried placards reading: "My body, my choice."
Smoke bombs were let off and one person launched a firework.
One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had come "because I want to be free and I want you to be free and the government are lying to us".
A woman said she had attended because the media "are lying to us".
By around 1:20pm, the crowd had begun dispersing and moved on to Whitehall.
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The protesters were demonstrating against the UK's vaccination rollout, which has been successful in suppressing the spread of Covid-19.
All jabs approved for use in the UK so far are safe and effective and give people the best protection against coronavirus.
The NHS website says this about Covid vaccines: "The vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
"Any Covid-19 vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. The MHRA follows international standards of safety.
"Other vaccines are being developed. They will only be available on the NHS once they have been thoroughly tested to make sure they are safe and effective.
"So far, millions of people have been given a Covid-19 vaccine and reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions or clotting problems, have been very rare."
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. (2/2)
— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) May 29, 2021
After the crowd dispersed from Parliament Square, it headed 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."
It later added that the situation "is now calm at Westfield, W12" and that the crowd is dispersing.
