Officers responded to reports of a large gathering at a school in north London on Thursday night, Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Friday.
When they entered the plant in Stamford Hill, the statement read that they had found that hundreds of people had been taken together in violation of the Covid-19 regulations.
Marriage ceremonies may only be attended by up to six people, according to English government guidelines, and wedding receptions are prohibited under the ongoing national lockdown.
“This was a completely unacceptable violation of the law, which is very clearly in place to save lives and protect the NHS,” he said. Detective Chief Marcus Barnett said in the statement.
“People across the country are making sacrifices by canceling or postponing weddings and other celebrations, and there is no excuse for this kind of behavior.”
Police said the school windows were closed to prevent people from seeing inside, and many participants ‘left when police arrived’.
Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville has confirmed that the event took place at Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls’ School. The school did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment, but the BBC reports that the school said its facilities had been rented out.
A school spokesman told the BBC: “We did not know the wedding was going to take place.”
He added: “We are absolutely appalled by the event last night and strongly condemn it.”
The former principal, Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, died in April last year after contracting coronavirus.
In addition to the fine of the organizer of the event, the police issued fines of £ 200 ($ 274) to five other participants.
“I am deeply disappointed that events of this nature are still taking place in Stamford Hill, despite the very serious pandemic situation we are in, and the number of lives already lost in the Charedi community and across the city,” Glanville said. in the statement.
“We will meet with the Rabbi and our community partners in the coming days to see how we can prevent further incidents of this nature.”
Stamford Hill is home to a large ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, some members of which are criticized for removing social distance rules.
Community leaders expressed disappointment when they heard earlier reports that there were 400 people.
Metropolitan police said on Friday afternoon that although “initial calls indicate that about 400 people attended the wedding, it is now believed that about 150 people attended.”
Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of the civilian volunteer patrols in Stamford Hill Shomrim, called for people to follow the rules.
“This is a time for unity, people should try to think of others and keep each other safe,” he told CNN by telephone on Friday.
“At a time when we are all making such great sacrifices, it amounts to an unapproachable lifting of the responsibility to protect life, and such illegal behavior is detested by the vast majority of the Jewish community,” he added.
The Council of Deputies of British Jews also said they “unconditionally condemned this blatant and shameful violation of Covid-19 regulations, which is contrary to the Jewish doctrine that the preservation of life is of the highest value.”
“We are appalled by the news,” they added.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday announced a fine of £ 800 ($ 1,100) to deal with people who continue to fight coronavirus restrictions by attending events and gatherings.
“The science is clear: such irresponsible behavior poses a significant threat to public health,” Patel said during a briefing in Downing Street.
“Not only for those present, but also for our wonderful police officers who are attending these events to close it,” she added. “As this latest benchmark shows, we will not keep up while a small number of individuals endanger others.”