Smith, who was among the group, said he has now received a personal apology from police officers but he did not accept the apology and would take legal action after no charges were brought against him.
The Met also confirmed it had used a controversial new law to detain the group. Recent changes to the law, passed last week, make it illegal for protesters to use equipment to secure themselves to things like railings. The Met said the group of six were detained after items were found in a vehicle which officers “had reasonable grounds to believe could be used as lock on devices”. But the force said it was “unable to prove intent to use them to lock on and disrupt the event”
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