Dozens of anti-vaccine protesters attempted to storm the BBC’s west London studios this afternoon prompting violent clashes with police – with at least one making it inside.
The protest, organised by anti-lockdown group Official Voice, is believed to have been directed against vaccine passports and jabs for children.
The protesters started at Shepherds Bush Green at around 1pm before making the short journey to the BBC Studioworks site in White City.
Currently, the site is used by BBC Studioworks with ITV live programmes such as This Morning and Loose Women filmed there, as well as some live BBC shows. The BBC Worlds News is filmed nearby.
However, the main BBC News programme is filmed at Broadcasting House in Portland Place, Westminster.
The BBC sold the site to property developers Stanhope plc in 2013, and the site now mostly contains homes and entertainment and leisure facilities.
No arrests have been made and an officer sustained a ‘minor’ facial injury during the demonstration, which is being investigated, the Metropolitan Police said.
One of the ringleaders appeared to be DJ Pat Wilson, who proudly posted a picture of himself on Instagram holding up his ‘demands’ inside the building.
He said afterwards: ‘We want to make a noise, the right noise. We will see what happens now.’
Later in a speech to the march he added: ‘A group of us lot set this up, but we’re not the leaders we don’t want to tell you lot where to go or what to do.’
Former Coronation Street actor Sean Ward was also at the protest and posted footage from the roadside.
Loose Women presenter Charlene White took to Twitter to reveal that the protesters tried to access the site while they were on air. She wrote: ‘Huge thanks to Andy and the security team over at Television Centre. The protesters attempted to gain access to the building while we were live on air with @loosewomen – and we’ve only just left, because of safety. Andy and his team were just incredible, thank-you.’
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