London protests held as anger mounts over Grenfell fire

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Theresa May was heckled on Friday by people angry over the deadly Grenfell Tower fire which claimed dozens of lives earlier this week.

May had faced earlier criticism for not meeting grieving relatives and other residents during a visit to the site of the tragedy in West London on Thursday.

The U.K. leader, who earlier announced a £5 million ($6.4 million) emergency aid package for those who lost everything in the blaze, faced harsh protests while emerging from a nearby church being used to support former Grenfell residents.

Police bundled the British premier into a waiting car amid angry shouts of “coward” from protestors.

-Demand for investigation

Elsewhere, more than 300 people held a rally in front of Kensington Town Hall, calling for answers into Wednesday’s blaze which destroyed the high-rise building and cost at least 30 lives.

Amid tense scenes, a group of furious protesters briefly broke into the town hall when their demand to speak to an official was not met.

The protest, organized over social media by a group of people who lost their loved ones in the catastrophe, was held amid a heavy police presence. At least one protester was detained.

Placards reading "Justice for Grenfell" and "We demand an inquest" were carried by some in the crowd.

A separate protest was held at Westminster, central London, on Friday evening.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. However, local media reports suggest inadequate fire-proofing in the 120-apartment block could be to blame.

There are 12 patients from the fire still in critical condition in hospital and the death toll is feared to rise further, police said earlier on Friday.