Footage of a police officer interrupting the Good Friday liturgy to disperse and send home the congregation of a Polish Catholic Church in Balham has become the subject of a media storm over the Easter weekend.
A strongly worded statement from the parish alleges that ‘the police grossly exceeded their powers by issuing their order without adequate reason, as all government requirements were met’. While the Metropolitan Police issued a statement disclosing that officers attended after following ‘a report of a crowds of people entering queuing outside’ (that common feature of Covid-19 policing: a tip off). It was said that they found social distancing and some mask wearing requirements were not met, and that the officers considered it was not safe to allow the service to continue.
The parish’s statement suggested that the officers who attended were out of date:
We believe that borough police officials have been misinformed regarding the current guidelines for places of worship, claiming that the reason for their intervention is the continuing ban on public celebrations in places of worship in London, due to the lockdown introduced from Jan.
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