Six officers hurt as campaigners clash with riot police in London protest

Six police officers were injured as protesters lit fires and threw bricks during a march over the death of a man after a traffic stop, Sky News reports.

Campaigners allege Edir Frederico Da Costa was "brutally beaten" after he was stopped in a car by Met Police officers in Newham, east London.

It is believed officers used force and sprayed the 25-year-old with CS gas, before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died six days later.

During a protest over Mr Da Costa's death, demonstrators shouted "we want justice" and "justice for Edson" as they clashed with riot police in Forest Gate and Stratford, east London.

Four police officers were taken to hospital, including a male police sergeant who suffered facial injuries and a female constable who sustained head injuries as demonstrators threw "a number of objects" toward officers in Stratford.

Four people were arrested for offences including disorder, arson and criminal damage in connection with the demonstration.

As tempers flared, riot officers wearing helmets stood shoulder to shoulder and two-person deep outside Forest Gate police station.

Firefighters, protected by police, put out a fire set in a bin in Richmond Road. Other bins were set alight near a McDonald's in Romford Road.

Witness Cindy Wijaya told Sky News she saw residents extinguishing blazes themselves.

She said: "It was frightening. (Protesters) were creating chaos for themselves and the police, but they were not hurting any neighbours around the area."

Earlier, superintendent Ian Larnder stood in the middle of a group of demonstrators, trying to answer their questions and calm tensions.

He said: "I am here because l care deeply about what is going on. Police officers are all accountable to the law, they are being investigated."

Family campaigners insisted the event had been set up as a peaceful march and they did not condone the violence.

Campaigners claim Mr Da Costa's neck was broken and he suffered head injuries after he was stopped on 15 June.

However, the IPCC said a preliminary post-mortem found Mr Da Costa did not suffer a broken neck, or any other spinal injury.

He also did not suffer a broken collarbone or bleeding to the brain, it added.