Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Arsenal Title Celebrations Draw Massive Crowds and 17 Arrests

Coordinated crowd plans plus temporary transport closures were used to manage unusually large spontaneous gatherings after the club’s first top-flight title in 22 years.

Overview

  • Thousands of supporters converged on London as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 2-1 and lifted the Premier League trophy, producing heavy concentrations of people around the Emirates and local transport disruption.
  • The Metropolitan Police said it had worked with Arsenal and emergency partners, placed cordons from about 6pm and at times closed station access to prevent overcrowding and direct pedestrian flows.
  • Officers made 17 arrests in the vicinity of the Emirates for offences that included affray, being drunk and disorderly and assault on an emergency worker.
  • At Selhurst Park stewards stopped two men wearing high-visibility jackets, who were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation, taken into custody and later cautioned.
  • The scale of the celebrations, driven by the club’s first top-flight championship since 2004, will prompt reviews of stewarding, entry controls and local crowd-management plans ahead of future fixtures.