Police arrest 76 at Eric Garner 'die-in' protest at Westfield Shopping Centre

More than 70 protesters were arrested when a demonstration over the police killing of an unarmed black man in New York brought mayhem to a west London shopping centre.

High-end shops at Westfield White City in Shepherd’s Bush were forced to close their doors with terrified shoppers and staff barricaded inside as hundreds of campaigners staged a mass “die in” over the death of Eric Garner.

Dozens of police and security guards surrounded around 600 protesters who sprawled on the floor in the centre’s atrium from 6pm last night, chanting arrested Garner’s last words as he was restrained by chokehold: “I can’t breathe!”

By 8pm, all entrances and exits were closed, costing shops thousands of pounds in lost trade from Christmas shoppers.

Whole most left peacefully, a “hard core” remained chanting and “charging around” in front of terrified shoppers.

Many of the arrests were made as a breakaway group who had been forced outside tried to storm their way back in, past guards and locked doors at 8.20pm.

Those arrested were taken in a fleet of hired London buses to police cells as far away as Sutton where they were today being questioned over criminal damage and public order offences.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Shortly after 8.20pm, a group of protesters broke away from a larger group and attempted to force entry to the shopping centre assaulting security staff and causing damage to property.

In response to this police used a number of tactics - including a containment for the purpose of preventing violence and effecting arrests.

A total of 76 people were subsequently arrested on suspicion of public order offences; one man was further arrested on suspicion of assault.
They have been taken to various London police stations for questioning. 

The protest at Westfield followed thousands protesting in New York and elsewhere since the announcement last week that a grand jury would not indict a white police officer over Mr Garner’s death during the July arrest which was captured on video.