“Violence against the police won’t be tolerated,” the spokesman declared on Thursday, as cited by Reuters. “We have been clear that anyone who assaults the police, or any of our emergency services workers, who help keep us safe, should feel the full force of the law.”

The incident, which the premier’s spokesman called “appalling,” occurred when the police tried to break up a music gig in the Brixton area of the British capital. Parties are currently banned in the UK due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The law enforcers asked the people to disperse but were instead attacked by the partygoers. The clashes left 22 officers with minor injuries, though two of them still required hospital treatment. Several patrol cars were damaged, with the police arresting four rioters.

The clashes in London bear a resemblance to events in the German city of Stuttgart at the weekend. Hundreds of people, apparently inspired by George Floyd protesters in America, attacked the police and looted shops there, after law enforcers tried making a drug-related arrest. A dozen officers were injured and more than 20 troublemakers were arrested.

The US has seen a wave of violent riots and large-scale looting, after African American George Floyd, died during his arrest by white police officers in Minneapolis in late May. The protests for black rights eventually transformed into calls to defund the American police altogether.