The Wireless Festival crowd was ‘forced to climb over fences to avoid being trampled’ after police were funneled through a narrow Finsbury Park entrance on their way to the event.
In a video shared on social media, a mob can be seen pushing against the authorities, who are trying to manage their movements on Seven Sisters Road.
will host the event Nicki Minaj This evening, SZA and Cardi B performed on Saturday and Friday, respectively.
Festival-goer Elia Moro said Twitter: ‘The last day of a major festival, of course’ met the police Should have been more prepared for the crowd.
‘Finsbury Park has only the smallest opening at its singular entrance, with no regulated flow of pedestrian traffic. People are being crushed and forced to climb high gates.
Police said the issue of crowding was a matter for the organizers of the event and for security.
Elia Moro said that people were fighting to ‘climb the fence away from shoveling’, with ‘crying and panic attacks’ among others in the crowd.
A weather police spokesman said people were “briefly” stopped from entering the site after some people tried to come in small numbers while queuing.
The stoppage led to a crowd gathering, with police officers assisting in the security of the incident, he said.
A woman is helped to climb a fence in Finsbury Park, London as others try to climb it
Festival-goers climb over fences to access wireless festival amid heavy police force
Police officers stand firmly against a wall as the crowd presses against them
Event-goers make their way through the park’s gated entrance in London
Police officers stand at one of the chained gates in the park
Crowds gather as they are funneled through a small gate at Finsbury Park
Officers stand at the gate as event-goers crowd toward the park’s entrance
When people enter the park for the festival, officials line an entrance
Festival-goers make their way into Finsbury Park under the supervision of police officers
Large crowds can be seen gathering outside the park entrance for the Wireless Festival
As the crowd grew, two lines of police officers stood in front of them.
A police officer is on his radio as a line of officers blocks the crowd from moving in certain directions
Police can be seen on horses next to a police van as crowds swell for the festival
Under crowd management, officers took to the streets riding on horses
Police arrive in large queue at the entrance of the Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park, London
Police officers stand on the street as crowds gather for the festival
Officers form a barricade outside Finsbury Park, London, joining together against the crowd
A crowd of people could be seen behind the authorities, one person said, adding that there was no regulated pedestrian flow to reach the festival.
The crowd can be seen thrashing the officials, who are trying to manage its movements
Tommy Durbin told MailOnline: ‘I was there, and haven’t been treated like this by the police since the old days of being a football fan in the ’80s.
‘With a narrow margin, the police were completely shocked that there were so many people. Disgusting.’
Julie Cavalli told MailOnline that her daughter, who is at the event, called her at 3 p.m. to say ‘no one was checking whether they had tickets’.
Ms. Cavalli said, “She was concerned because too many people were stepping up security checks and no one was doing it.”
‘She said she was hoping no one had cheated on anything. This is a security issue and an incident waiting to happen!’
Another attendee said they were stuck outside the venue for hours.
“People are going out, getting dehydrated, horses being abused by the police,” he said.
All passengers were also asked to leave Finsbury Park underground station immediately due to an emergency.
A woman stares at the crowd in front of her as they are stopped by police officers
Traffic also began building up in the Finsbury Park area this afternoon
In a video on social media, a Tannoy announcement can be heard urging passengers to leave, as the gates at the entrance are semi-closed.
Paula Tucker criticized the organizing organization on Twitter.
“Finsbury Park is completely unsuitable for the Wireless Festival – park gates closed, tube stations closed, helicopters overhead for an hour,” she wrote.
‘The Haringi Council should not ignore the needs of the residents and allow this incident to happen again.’
Another critic said: ‘The wireless festival needs more security in Finsbury Park.’
Once inside, attendee Nicole Barrett said her experience was enough to make her return.
“Some parts of the pen had no protection at all, the speakers were blown up and most acts were either late or cancelled,” she told MailOnline.
‘In all, around £1,000 was spent to come here to enjoy itself as a feast. It’s really keeping me from coming back next time, because the ammonia was coming out of people’s urine in the toilet—I felt like I was about to pass out.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Force said the issue at the entrance began around 3 p.m. this afternoon, when “some people tried to enter the wireless festival while others were queuing”.
‘As a result, security staff put a brief moratorium on people enrolling in the program to ensure the safe flow of people to the site.
‘This led to huge crowd gathering in the vicinity of the site.
“The officers assisted the security staff in managing the crowd to keep the people safe.
‘We continue to work closely with event organizers and other partners to prevent further disruption and we thank people for their patience, especially in warm weather.’
Wireless Festival was also contacted for comment.
Were you in the crowd for the Wireless Festival? Email jessica.warren@mailonline.co.uk
Crowds on the main stage at the Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park, London