- Thousands met in Hyde Park today as part of annual global '420' event
- Crowds seen openly smoking marijuana as police officers stood nearby
- Controversial festival also saw gatherings in Manchester and Glasgow
By
Jack Crone
Police
arrested 53 people as pro-cannabis protestors gathered to get high and
call for the drug to be legalised in London's Hyde Park today.
Dramatic
images captured the moment four officers took down and restrained a
tracksuit-wearing man near the entrance to the park - just yards from a
prominent police sign which read: 'Possession of cannabis is illegal'.
The
crowds met this afternoon as part of the annual '420' event - a global
celebration of cannabis which calls for reform to drug laws.
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Taking him down: The four police officers were seen rushing towards the man at the entrance to Hyde Park
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Restrained: The pro-cannabis protestor
is pushed down to the ground just yards from a police sign reading:
'Possession of cannabis is illegal'
Thousands
of campaigners were seen sitting on the grass openly smoking marijuana
and comparing the size of their joints while dozens of police officers
hovered nearby.
Many
protestors carried signs, with one reading: 'Ed Miliband wouldn't want
his own children criminalised for cannabis possession.'
Of
the 53 who were arrested in London, 16 were taken into custody, while 21
were released on street bail and asked to return to a station at a
later date.
A
Met Police spokesman said: 'Anyone seen by an officer openly smoking
cannabis in Hyde Park or in the Westminster area could be issued with a
warning or face arrest.'
The
term '420' has become universally known as the code word for cannabis -
after a group of students coined it while searching for an abandoned
crop of marijuana in California in 1971.
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A man wearing a President Obama mask holds a marijuana joint to his mouth in Hyde Park today
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Campaigners were seen openly smoking cannabis while dozens of police officers stood nearby
The
festival is usually held on April 20 and last year there were
estimated to be around 10,000 people openly smoking marijuana in Hyde
Park.
The 420 Day event is organised by a reform-seeking group called NORML UK, along with the UK Cannabis Social Clubs (UKCSC).
Last
year, Greg de Hoedt, president of UKCSC, told the Guardian last year:
'The cannabis community is crying out for legalization and regulation.
'We
encourage growers to register with UKCSC because we want data we can
present to authorities and say: this many people grow cannabis, this
many people are growing for medicinal purposes; and we can also
establish which strains work with which illnesses.'
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Four people hold their marijuana joints together with a bag full of the drug visible in the centre of the photo
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Many campaigners carried signs including this message referring to Labour Leader Ed Miliband
This weekend also saw campaigners gather in Glasgow's George Square and in Manchester's Platt Fields Park.
The Manchester event's Facebook page reads: 'This will be our fifth annual gathering so we plan to make it one to remember.
'For
those who haven't been there's going to be good tunes, good food, good
company, games and activities, face painting, freebies, talks stalls and
information all in the name of celebrating the many aspects of cannabis
culture.
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Checking for drugs: Police officers stop and search a visitor to Hyde Park this afternoon
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The 420 Day event is organised by a reform-seeking group called NORML UK, along with the UK Cannabis Social Clubs (UKCSC)
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A protestor blows smoke from a marijuana joint during taday's pro-cannabis festival in Hyde Park
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More than 50 people were arrested at today's event in London, with 16 taken into police custody
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The controversial pro-cannabis event
is set to continue into tomorrow with a 'Parliament Protest Picnic',
according to the 'London 420' Facebook page
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This weekend also saw campaigners gather in Glasgow's George Square and in Manchester's Platt Fields Park
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