A 28-year-old has been charged after a man was photographed apparently urinating next to the memorial dedicated to Pc Keith Palmer, the officer who was stabbed to death in the 2017 terror attack in Westminster.
Andrew Banks, of Stansted, Essex, has been charged with outraging public decency and will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said.
The image of a man urinating was widely shared on social media on Saturday as violent clashes between far-right protesters and police took place in central London.
Speaking on Saturday, Commander Bas Javid described the image as “disgusting and abhorrent”, while Home Secretary Priti Patel referred to the “desecration” of Pc Palmer’s memorial, and said it was “absolutely appalling and shameful”.
MP Tobias Ellwood, who gave first aid to Pc Palmer as he lay dying after being stabbed to death in the grounds of Parliament by Khalid Masood in 2017, said the image of the man urinating next to the memorial was “abhorrent”.
More than 100 people were arrested on Saturday at the London protest, and the violence was condemned by the Prime Minister as “racist thuggery” and described as “mindless hooliganism” by police.