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Girl punched to the ground at Hyde Park water fight
Benedict Moore-Bridger, Evening Standard31.07.08
This is the moment a girl was punched off her feet during a water fight in Hyde Park in which nine people were arrested.
The girl was knocked to the floor by a fellow reveller after he was squirted with a bottle of drink during the play fight, which had been advertised on Facebook.
The attack happened at around lunchtime yesterday near the Serpentine.
Nine people were later arrested after gangs of youths ran amok, threatening the public, flashing knives and causing riding school children as young as five to be thrown from their horses.
The terrifying scenes came two weeks after teenager Frederick Moody-Boateng was murdered having attended a similar water pistol fight in Holland Park.
About 300 teenagers had responded to the Facebook posting.
Witnesses described how the goodhumoured event soon descended into violence after one of the girls tipped a coloured drink over one of her companions.
One man, who captured the events on camera, said the group had earlier been spoken to by police for disturbing people in the park.
He told the Standard: "About 10 minutes after the police left, the girl poured drink over this bloke. He was not happy and chased after her. She thought it was a game but he looked really angry.
"When he caught up to her he just whacked her so hard - she was lifted completely off her feet. Hundreds of people saw it. It was shocking. He then just stood over her, threatening her until other people in the group pulled him away."
The girl later staggered to her feet and was helped away by friends.
Other witnesses claimed hundreds of police, some with dogs, later descended on the park to disperse the youths. Paramedics were called to Serpentine Road to treat some of the injured horseriders for suspected broken bones and concussion.
At 7.30pm a search cordon was put in place in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said several people became "hostile to police actions", resulting in nine being arrested: four for assault on police, three for public order offences, one for affray and one for handling stolen goods. All were men in their twenties and were taken to central London police stations.
