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Six people stabbed after Arsenal victory parade

News imageEPA/Shutterstock A dense crowd of Arsenal football supporters celebrates in a city street filled with red smoke. In the foreground, a large red banner is blurred, while in the mid-ground, a fan stands above the crowd with arms raised, holding a smoking flare.EPA/Shutterstock
Hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans turned up for the five-mile parade

Six people were stabbed and 24 arrests were made at Arsenal's victory celebrations in north London, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Most of those injured in the stabbings were not seriously hurt, but a man in his 20s was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being attacked in Hornsey Road shortly before 20:30 BST on Sunday. Police said he is now in a stable condition.

More than 500 officers were deployed for the event, which attracted hundreds of thousands of supporters celebrating Arsenal's Premier League title success.

Police said one officer suffered a slash wound to the hand and another was struck on the head by objects thrown during the celebrations.

The 24 arrests included 10 people suspected of assaulting police officers, three on suspicion of sexual assault and one on suspicion of grievous bodily harm over an attack that caused a head injury.

News imagePA Media A large group of Arsenal football fans celebrate whilst gathered on the roof and structure of Highbury Station. Several supporters wear the club's red and white shirts, one fan waves a large Arsenal flag, and another holds a flare that releases thick plumes of pinkish-red smoke into the air.PA Media
The LFB said 75 people had to be rescued from a height at the parade

Four police vans in Therberton Street, Islington were left with dents and broken lights.

On Sunday, London Fire Brigade warned fans not to climb on rooftops after crews had to rescue 75 stranded fans.

In the evening, once most of the crowds had gone home, there were six stabbings, the Met said.

Officers were granted extra stop and search powers overnight.

Cdr Stuart Bell, who led the Met's public order operation for the parade, said: "I would like to thank the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of Arsenal supporters who attended the day to celebrate safely and responsibly.

"However, we had been clear that violence and other criminality would not be tolerated and unfortunately there were pockets of anti-social behaviour and incidents where officers needed to intervene, including assaults on their colleagues."

He added: "As the evening progressed and the majority of the crowds made their way home, there was sadly further violence, including gang-related incidents."

He said officers were "swiftly on the scene" to each stabbing and investigations were ongoing.

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