British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that anti-racism protests in the United Kingdom have been "hijacked by extremists" who were .
"It is clear that the protests have been sadly hijacked by extremists intent on violence," Mr Johnson said in a statement issued on Twitter.
Police have ahead of a new wave of demonstrations and rallies this weekend.
A famous statue of Winston Churchill outside parliament was defaced last weekend during "Black Lives Matter" rallies sparked by George Floyd's death during a police arrest in Minnesota on 25 May.
Mr Johnson called the targeting of the former leader "absurd and shameful".
"The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country - and the whole of Europe - from a fascist and racist tyranny," said Mr Johnson, who lists the war-time leader as one of his personal heroes.
"Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial."
Protesters blame Mr Churchill for policies that led to the death of millions during famine in the Indian state of Bengal in 1943.
"We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history," Mr Johnson said.
"The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations."
