Hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters turn out in London as UK death toll passes 34K

Hundreds of protesters were seen demonstrating in London Saturday to rail against the country’s lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters were seen in London’s famed Hyde Park waving signs reading “This is not about a virus, this is about control” and “No to the new abnormal.”

Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, was seen being taken away by authorities in handcuffs.

The protest in London was one of several demonstrations taking place across the United Kingdom, which has been on lockdown since March 23. The lockdown has shuttered a number of businesses and services, and authorities have encouraged people to stay home as much as possible. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson began relaxing restrictions this week, allowing those who cannot do their jobs from home to return to work and easing restrictions on the amount of time people can spend outside so long as they follow social distancing guidelines. 

Similar protests have broken out across the U.S., most notably in Michigan, where armed demonstrators railed against state measures in the Capitol in Lansing. 

London’s demonstrations come as the UK’s death toll surpassed 34,000 Saturday, with 468 people dying since Friday alone.  

As of 9am 16 May, there have been 2,489,563 tests, with 136,486 tests on 15 May.

1,742,028 people have been tested of which 240,161 tested positive.

As of 5pm on 15 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 34,466 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/NUmxLoGRgx

— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) May 16, 2020