
Black Lives Matter protesters intent on causing chaos in London blocked in a Waitrose lorry as they chanted 'hands up, don't shoot' at police officers - who were not carrying guns.

The group of so-far peaceful demonstrators marched through east London and stopped traffic in Whitechapel and Shoreditch, frustrating revellers heading to the trendy area for a Friday night out.

A Waitrose lorry was caught up in the drama on Whitechapel High Street, with police called in to guard it as officers allowed the march to continue.

Placard-waving activists in Manchester also brought trams and traffic to a halt outside Piccadilly bus station.

It followed a wave of protests this morning which saw protesters from the Black Lives Matter group bring transport routes to a standstill by laying down on motorways, blocking the entrances to airports and stopping trams.

The demonstrators are part of the British wing of a campaign set up in the US to protest about black Americans being shot by police.

Protesters are due to march through Tottenham today to mark the fifth anniversary of the Mark Duggan shooting and the subsequent riots.

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Furious Black Lives Matter protesters intent on causing chaos in London blocked in a Waitrose lorry as they chanted 'hands up, don't shoot' at police officers - who were not carrying guns

Peaceful demonstrators marched through east London and stopped traffic in Whitechapel and Shoreditch

A Waitrose lorry was caught up in the drama on Whitechapel High Street, with police called in to guard it as officers allowed the march to continue

'No justice, no peace': The protesters marched down Aldgate High Street, blocking traffic and frustrating motorists

People stand together with placards in Altab Ali Park in east London, as they attend yesterday's Black Lives Matter event

A woman lights a candle at a memorial during the Black Lives Matter protest in London. The event at Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel came after a day of protests across the country

Among the cases which were highlighted at the event in London was the death of Sheku Bayoh, 31, who died after being restrained by officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May last year. Nobody has been charged in connection with his death

Shutdown: Placard-waving activists in Manchester also brought trams and traffic to a halt outside Piccadilly bus station

A protester stands on tram lines near Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester City Centre, blocking traffic on Friday evening

Scores of demonstrators gathered at Altab Ali park in East London last night

People chant and hold up with placards in Altab Ali Park in east London, as they attend the Black Lives Matter protest

The protesters say the Black Lives Matter message is as relevant in Britain as it is in America, although critics say the problem is statistically insignificant compared to the US

Police officers crowd round as members of the Black Lives Matter group are arrested outside Heathrow Airport

Police had to use power tools to cut open the concrete locks the group had put their hands inside before the protest

This was the scene as protesters from the Black Lives Matter group blocked the road to Heathrow Airport

An inquest jury decided in January 2014 that Duggan had been lawfully killed when he was shot by a police marksman on August 4, 2011.

Two days after the shooting riots erupted across London, with shops being looted, buildings set alight and clashes with riot police.

It quickly spread to Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester.

Members of the Justice for Mark Duggan campaign will be demonstrating and holding a vigil and will also be remembering other black people who have died in controversial circumstances, including Jermaine Baker, who was shot dead by police in Wood Green in December, allegedly while planning to spring a gangster from a prison van.

Today's event will begin this afternoon on the Broadwater Farm estate, followed by a march to Tottenham police station.

Last night's protest started at Altab Ali park in Whitechapel before blocking the high street there.

The protesters then moved to Shoreditch High Street - known for its trendy bars - where they were heard chanting: 'Hands up, don't shoot.'

The slogan has been synonymous with the protest group in America since the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 which sparked fury across the United States.

They also shouted 'I can't breathe' - words uttered by Eric Garner as he was put in a chokehold by a New York police officer in 2014 - as they held a sit-in in the middle of a crossroad.

Earlier activists chained themselves together and stood across approach roads to Heathrow and Birmingham airports, while in the centre of Nottingham, four protesters lay across tram tracks.

The coordinated actions across the country caused chaos for hundreds of people trying to catch holiday flights and on their way to work.

In Birmingham, an ambulance was delayed as paramedics tried to get a patient to Heartlands Hospital along the blocked A45.

Police arrested 10 people on the M4 near Heathrow Airport and five people on the A45 Coventry Road near Birmingham.

Four people were arrested in central Nottingham. The protest started around 8am and the tram route was reopened around midday.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We did have a minimal delay - a crew were on the way to hospital with a patient on board.'

The ambulance was allowed through after a few minutes with the help of police. Witnesses who saw the incident branded the protesters an 'utter disgrace'.

Protesters chained themselves together using concrete locks, causing further delays as police struggled to remove them

Videos from the scene show placard-waving protesters arguing with workmen and motorists eager to get the road moving

This is the scene near Birmingham airport where demonstrators blocked a main road while chanting slogans

Demonstrators were pictured laying across the usually busy road from the M4 beneath a banner reading: 'This is a crisis'

In Nottingham, demonstrators lay down on tram tracks outside the Theatre Royal to bring the city to a standstill

In Nottingham, commuters on their way to work looked on in shock as four demonstrators lay across the tram tracks

They unfurled a banner stating: 'Delays inevitable, injustice, system failure', while another sheet exclaimed 'shutdown Notts'

Police negotiated with the Nottingham group, who joked with supporters for their cause during the action this morning

Nottinghamshire Police said screens erected at the scene of the protest are to prevent distraction for motorists

The chaos came at one of the busiest times of the year for airports, with 100,000 passengers flying out of Heathrow as families head off on their summer holidays.

Black Lives Matter UK tweeted: 'We call a nationwide #Shutdown: 05.08.16. #Shutdown racism. #Shutdown violence. #Shutdown borders. #BlackLivesMatter'

Pictures posted on the organisation's Twitter feed show protesters lying in a row across the road beneath a banner which says: 'This is a crisis.'

Video footage showed police officers negotiating with the groups, while chants of 'black lives matter' ring out.

There were scuffles as motorists remonstrated with the group with vehicles queued up bumper to bumper in west London and the West Midlands.

Thursday was the fifth anniversary of Mark Duggan being shot dead by police in Tottenham, North London, which prompted widespread protests across the capital and in other cities across Britain between August 6 and 11, 2011.

Black Lives Matter said it wanted to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Mr Duggan's death.

The group stated: 'We stand in solidarity with the families and friends of all who have died at the hands of the British state. We take action because justice has not been delivered through conventional means: the police, the IPCC, the courts or the legislature.'

The group said it aims to highlight 'the struggle for Black Lives in the UK and shut down state-sanctioned racialised sexism, Islamophobia, classism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia'.

The blockage of the road near Birmingham airport started about 7am and the road was reopened by police at around 9am. The blockage of the M4 to Heathrow started shortly before 8:30am. Two lanes were reopened before midday, but one lane remains closed.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called 08:25hrs on Friday, 5 August, to the M4 slip road at Heathrow Airport.

'A number of people were reported to be blocking the road leading to the airport. Four people have been arrested and taken to west London police stations where they remain in custody.

'A further six people have been arrested at the scene. Police are in the process of safely releasing these protesters who have 'locked on' to each other. One lane remains closed to ensure the safety of protesters and officers.'

Videos of the protests near Birmingham airport showed officers from West Midlands police moving in and making arrests

A woman holds up a banner claiming the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which investigates deaths in custody and police shootings, is staffed by ex-police officers and is therefore inherently biased

There were long tailbacks in Birmingham with the entire width of the A45 Coventry Road blocked

Earlier the road was packed with cars as motorists got out to see what was preventing them getting their flights

The group tweeted a picture of the M4 in west London with the message: 'Full #Shutdown in London. Motorway closed'

Police officers moved in on the road to Heathrow after demonstrators locked their hands together inside boxes

The demonstrations received an unsympathetic response from Twitter users, who said they were disrupting family holidays and people trying to work.

George Howe, wrote: 'All the families on their way to Heathrow that have worked hard all year round to have a holiday and you get a load berks with a banner.'

David Malley added: 'I'm all for equality but how does stopping hard working people from going on holiday at Heathrow help? #BlackLivesMatter'

Becca Anastasia tweeted: '#blacklivesmatter blocking Heathrow is pathetic, people work hard all year round to go on holiday..why aren't these people at work?'

And Lady Durrant wrote: 'How utterly selfish! Why ruin innocent people's holiday or work? Every life matters, not just #BlackLivesMatter'

CONTROVERSIAL NUS PRESIDENT BACKS 'BRAVE' PROTESTERS WHO CAUSED CHAOS NUS president Malia Bouattia praised 'brave' demonstrators The National Union of Students has backed the Black Lives Matter protesters who caused chaos earlier today. Its president, Malia Bouattia, praised the 'brave' demonstrators who stopped people getting to Heathrow Airport this morning. 'I extend my solidarity and respect to the Black Lives Matter protesters who have bravely blocked the M4 outside Heathrow Airport this morning and others who have held demonstrations across the UK,' she said. 'We have reached a crisis point where we have been forced into taking direct action and it’s obvious there is a desperate need for a Black Lives Matter movement in the UK. Today’s disruptions are incomparable to the loss of a life and the damage this does to affected families and our communities. 'As long as Black communities aren't free to live, breathe and move, without the fear of intimidation, violence, or death at the hands of the state, we will continue to disrupt the status quo and ensure our voices are heard. We refuse to accept this as the norm or an ‘unfortunate reality’. We must come together to challenge this injustice and will not rest until those responsible are held to account for these actions.' Miss Bouattia has previously endorsed Palestinian 'resistance' against Israel, arguing that 'non-violent protest' is not enough, and called her own university a 'Zionist outpost'. When she was the NUS officer for ethnic-minority students, in 2014, she led efforts to stop the union officially condemning ISIS. The activist warned that speaking out against the barbaric terror group would be a 'justification for war and blatant Islamophobia', forcing union officials to clarify that 'NUS does not support ISIS'. She has also claimed that young Britons have 'no choice but to go off to Syria' to join Islamic extremists because they 'feel so disempowered'. Advertisement

The demonstrators received an unsympathetic response from holidaymakers, who were angry about the disruption

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire police wrote: 'Four people have been arrested on suspicion of causing the wilful obstruction of a highway following a protest in Nottingham city centre today.

'Police were called to the junction of Parliament Street and Goldsmith Street at about 8am to a report of four people blocking the tram line. Three women aged 30, 48 and 50 and a man, aged 30 were all arrested at the scene.'

A Heathrow Airport spokesman said: 'Protest activity is causing delays. We apologise for the inconvenience. The police is on sight and one of the four lanes is open.'

A Highways England spokesman tweeted: 'Spur road between M4 J4 and J4a (Heathrow Airport). Traffic released by Metropolitan Police. However two lanes of three remain closed with long delays.'

The model, the schoolgirl and the Socialist Worker: The ringleaders behind Black Lives Matter which shut down Britain

The ringleader behind the Black Lives Matter in Britain is an 18-year-old model who has already masterminded a major protest involving 3,000 people on Oxford Street.

The movement dates back three years but has only gained momentum in the UK in recent weeks thanks to several high-profile protests on the streets of London.

And a major driving force behind them has been student Capres Willow from Waltham Abbey, Essex, who organised last month’s huge march through the capital.

Capres Willow, one of the ringleaders of Black Lives Matter, speaks at a demonstration outside the US Embassy last month. She is pictured with Gary McFarlane (left) a member of the Socialist Workers Party who help organise the demo

She set up an event on Facebook and expected about 30 of her friends to join her in the march, which eventually saw the West End road shut down by the protesters.

Epping Forest College student Miss Willow, who is also a travel writer, led the July 10 protest calling for justice for the killing of two black men by white US police officers.

She told the Evening Standard: ‘I’ve been aware of [the movement] for a while. I’m old enough to take control of my own life and impact on other people’s lives.

‘I was wondering, why hasn’t London stood up and shown that they give a s***, basically? I understand we’re disrupting people’s lives but... that’s life, isn’t it?’

Miss Willow, who has mixed race parents, added: ‘I hate to say that, but one day maybe you’re disrupted and late for something but it’s for something important.’

Miss Willow is understood to be at the Edinburgh festival today and is not taking part in the roadblocks.

Demonstrators holding banners saying ‘black lives matter’ and ‘no justice no peace’ marched on July 10 and stopped outside the American Embassy in Mayfair.

Commenting on the previous protest in Oxford Street, she said: 'I understand we’re disrupting people’s lives but... that’s life'

There, they chanted ‘hands up don’t shoot’ in reference to the killings of Philando Castile in Minnesota on July 6 and Alton Sterling in Louisiana a day before that.

During the embassy protest, prominent Socialist Workers Party member Gary McFarlane told supporters of police murders in Dallas: ‘What do they expect?’

He was recorded by Heat Street as saying: ‘No pig went to prison. No wonder people are getting angry, no wonder people are saying “an eye for an eye”.

‘Of course I don’t condone the killing of the police force. But they keep killing black people. What do they expect people to do?’

The British side of the movement, known as UK Black Lives Matter (UKBLM), describes itself as a network of anti-racist activists from across the country.

Maryam Ali, a founder of the Black Lives Matter chapter in London, is an 18-year-old sixth form student from West London who has never experienced police violence.

The Black Lives Matter movement has gained support in the US in recent years in opposition police shootings

But speaking about her involvement to BBC News last month, she said: ‘Part of it is solidarity with the US. I have family in America, and I fear for their lives.

‘They could just been walking down the street and their lives could be taken away. But the UK isn't innocent. There have been police killings here.’

And referring to the movement’s marches, she told The Voice last month, she said: ‘I think people forget that racism is a worldwide thing. It’s still very prevalent.

‘This is ultimately a cry for help… Sometimes people just focus on the now. It creates a buzz now, but in time you’ll forget it. We’re going to keep showing our support.’

The death of Michael Brown, who was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, was the spark for the cause

The Black Lives Matter motto was founded in the US in 2013, but ignited a year later when Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

That incident on August 9, 2014 was followed by other high-profile killings of black men and boys by police in other American cities including Baltimore and Cleveland.

The various shootings sparked racial tensions and weeks of protests in the US and beyond that evolved into a global debate about alleged disparities in policing.

The motto is believed to have been coined in 2013 when California-based activist Alicia Garza said on Facebook: ‘Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter.’

She was angry that neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman had been cleared of murdering black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida in February 2012.

Since then the Black Lives Matter protests have spread to Britain in solidarity with US police shootings and to highlight stop and searches in the UK and custody deaths.

The Oxford Street rally came after two other marches in previous days that halted traffic for four hours in Brixton and outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

And on July 19 a water fight in London’s Hyde Park spiralled out of control and led to three people being stabbed as members of a crowd chanted 'Black Lives Matter'.

But police said at the time that the violence was not related to the Black Lives Matter protests and was instead about people ‘committing violent acts of disorder’.

Earlier this week more than 60 organisations affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement issued a list of demands calling for policing and criminal justice reforms.

There have been violent clashes with police in the US during protests across the country, like this in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

To address criminal justice reform, movement organisers are calling for an end to the type of militarised police presence seen at protests in US cities such as Ferguson.

They also want the retroactive decriminalisation and immediate release of all people convicted of drug offences, sex work related offence and youth offences.