Watch as police officer shoves bagpiper at The Cenotaph on Remembrance Day

Even with COVID-19 restrictions in place, the United Kingdom observed Remembrance Day on Sunday, November 8 defiantly. Ignoring the restrictions, public gatherings were seen close to war memorials in the UK. Videos shared from The Cenotaph showed a bagpiper getting close to the police line, preventing people from entering the memorial. An officer is seen shoving the bagpiper to the ground after he gets too close. Another video shared following the incident is assumed to be of the bagpiper identified as Ben Buckland, claiming that he intentionally riled up the officer. An investigation has been launched by the Metropolitan police into the actions of the officer involved.

The video of a bagpiper being shoved down by a Met officer roused outrage as it was shared over social media yesterday. In the video, a line of police officers is seen standing outside The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. Even though a ceremony was being held at the memorial, it was not open to the public completely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A bagpiper dressed in a uniform can be seen getting too close to the line of Met officers before he is pushed down to the ground. The crowd immediately erupts, shouting against the actions of the officer. Soon after the incident, another video showed officers surrounding the same man and arresting him.

According to the Mirror, the man was arrested on a charge of common assault on an emergency worker but was released and remains under investigation. The Metropolitan police have also launched an investigation into the conduct of the officer involved.

The Daily Mail identified the bagpiper as Buckland. The man reportedly served in the Scots Guard division of the British Army through the 90s. He has been a member of the UK Independent Party (UKIP) for years. He also stood for a seat as a councillor in the London Borough of Havering in 2018 representing UKIP. However, he did not win the election.

Since the incident, a video showed Buckland claiming that he had provoked the police intentionally for a reaction.

Over the weekend several people have been arrested for violating the new lockdown rules across the UK. Anti-lockdown protesters faced arrests and fines for their violations. Police continue to investigate the incidents of the lockdown breaches as people are urged to abide by the guidelines.