‘Free Assange’ protesters arrested right before Party at the Palace – Metro.co.uk

The scuffle broke out just a stones throw away from Buckingham Palace (Picture: Reuters)

Protesters wearing Free Assange t-shirts were arrested on The Mall just moments before the Queens Platinum Party at the Palace began.

One man was pictured being pinned down on the ground and handcuffed as eight officers surrounded him.

Another man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask was also detained by police in the same spot close to Buckingham Palace.

Beside the scuffle was a placard saying Free Assange demanding the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The 50-year-old Australian activist has been in Belmarsh maximum-security prison since 2019.

Hed spent seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy before eventually being forced out into the custody of UK police.

Earlier this year the High Court formally ordered Assange to be extradited to the US, where hes wanted for an alleged conspiracy to disclose national defence information.

The charge came after Wikileaks published hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

A crowd of 20,000 people attended tonights Platinum Party at the Palace, celebrating Queen Elizabeth IIs 70-year reign.

On the star studded line-up was Diana Ross, Craig David, Hans Zimmer, Diversity and Queen (the band).

There was a pre-recorded performance from Sir Elton John, while stars including Sir David Attenborough, Emma Raducanu, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, Dame Julie Andrews, The Royal Ballet, and Ellie Simmonds will also appeared.

The Queen also showed off her acting skills by staring in a skit with none other than Paddington Bear.

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'Free Assange' protesters arrested right before Party at the Palace - Metro.co.uk