More than 1.5 million people took part in Arsenal's championship parade (London) on the evening of May 31, making it the most crowded event of its kind ever, wrote journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Londoners won the English Premier League championship title for the first time in 22 years and played in the Champions League final for the first time since 2006, where they lost to Paris Saint-Germain (France) after a 1-1 draw in regular time and penalties. The parade was planned for after the European final and held on the last day of May.
But the presence of so many people is not entirely harmless from a security perspective, with two days after the parade's end the tally being six people stabbed, 24 arrested and 75 rescued from high places where they had climbed unsecured, ESPN reported.
London police confirmed that 24 arrests had been made, 10 of them for assaulting police officers. Arrests were also made for aggressive drunken behavior and public order, drug-related crimes, sexual assault and assaulting emergency workers. The Metropolitan Police have also dealt with other assaults and unlicensed music events in the area.
500 officers were involved, with one injured with a cut on his hand and another hit on the head by an object thrown by the crowd. Four police vans in Islington had broken headlights and dents in their hulls.
It was later revealed that later in the evening, after the crowds had largely dispersed, officers had dealt with six stabbing victims. Most of the victims were not seriously injured, police said. The most serious case was with the first stab wound found, a 20-year-old man.
However, the overall assessment of the incidents is good given the fact that more than 1.5 million people took to the streets. London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulburn, who was the strategic commander of the parade, said: “Arsenal's Premier League title celebrations were a fantastic sight and it was great to see so many fans celebrating their club's achievement safely.
“We also attended a hotel fire which is believed to have been caused by an accidental flare where we used one of our 32m revolving ladders to help put out the fire. Fortunately, the fire only caused minor damage to the exterior of the building. It is believed the pyrotechnics also set off fire alarms in several other locations in the area,“ said the London Fire Brigade's Assistant Commissioner.