St George's Day rally in London descends into chaos: Riot cops clash with crowds as police horse is attacked near Downing Street and speakers blast out Sweet Caroline - after protesters slam Met's 'two-tier policing for Pro-Palestine marchers'

A St George's Day rally in London descended into chaos today as riot officers clashed with crowds and a police horse was attacked near Downing Street. 

Mounted police intervened after a group broke through a cordon formed to stop people moving past the area that had been allocated for the event. 

This led to scuffles breaking out, with footage appearing to show one of the horses being struck by a man with an umbrella. 

The melee happened just before the main rally at 3pm, where Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox joined crowds singing along to songs including Sweet Caroline. 

The Met said officers were forced to respond when a group 'violently' forced through police blockades. 

But it prompted some to claim of 'two-tier policing', with critics suggesting pro-Palestine marchers were treated more favourably. 

Officers from the Met Police clashed with protesters who attempted to force their way through police lines

Hundreds of people descended on central London, with many thought to have travelled from across the UK

Some of those who attended the rally dressed up in St George's fancy dress - including as the patron saint himself

The Met shared a video that appears to show officers forming a cordon but a group, some waving flags and others wearing St George's flags, pushing past it before two mounted officers on horses intervene.

A spokesman said: 'The event is not due to start for an hour and regrettably officers are already dealing with disorder.

'There is an area allocated for this event in Richmond Terrace. This group went past it and continued up Whitehall.

'When officers formed a cordon and asked the group to turn round, they reacted by violently forcing their way through. Mounted officers intervened with horses to restore the cordon.'

The Met said no further incidents had been reported at the rally, which passed off peacefully. 

Among those giving speeches were Tommy Robinson, former leader of the English Defence League, while Laurence Fox - leader of The Reclaim Party - was also in attendance. 

The protest took place near the Cenotaph, where a service is held each year on Remembrance Sunday

The mostly male attendees were pictured gathering outside Downing Street

After the initial disorder, police said the event continued as planned and the road was reopened in both directions

Pictures from the scene show officers attempting to regain control of the crowd, many of whom are draped in England flags

Video footage from Whitehall shows protesters shouting at and scuffling with police officers

The Met Police shared a map of the expected protest and instructed those in attendance to remain within the pink area on Richmond Terrace

Robinson was already in London having been acquitted of breaching a dispersal order while attending a pro-Israel protest on November 26 last year.

He was cleared of the charge after it was admitted the dispersal order was possibly unlawful due to it having the wrong date on it.

The court heard Inspector Parker-Phipps, whose laptop battery was 'dying' at the time, put the order in place at 10am on November 26, but accidentally dated the form for November 24. 

Robinson was arrested at the protest near the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Organisers had announced he was not welcome at the event. 

The former EDL leader claimed he was attending the march as 'a journalist'. 

Some of those attending peacefully were seen to have dressed up for the occasion, with one person seen on the back of a horse while wearing a knight's costume.