Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot

Sky News reporter forced off-air by mob throwing gun signs

A Sky News reporter found himself in the thick of a riot in Plymouth, dodging "missiles" as tensions flared between right-wing groups and police, with anti-racism demonstrators also present. From the studio, anchor Gillian Joseph kept a concerned eye on correspondent Dan Whitehead, who was reporting live amidst the chaos.

As objects continued to rain down, Gillian interjected with a cautionary note: "Dan, we'll stay with you as long as you're confident that you're safe, so please stop me if you need to move, if you need to leave at any point."

Acknowledging her concern, Dan replied: "Thanks Gillian, we're okay, we're carrying on."

To which Gillian observed: "Another missile we just saw there land. Do we know what the tactics are now of the police, apart from containing? What's the game plan?"

Dan then detailed the situation: "That barrier is doing a lot of the work here for them. You've got those riot officers in place, but arguably it's the barrier that's doing a lot of the work," reports the Mirror.

Sky News' Dan Whitehead was live in Plymouth (Image: Sky News)

The scene showed him equipped with a helmet and safety goggles, holding his microphone while swiftly moving away from the escalating violence.

Dan remarked during the turmoil: "We'll just move back a little bit more as those missiles continue to be thrown. Most of them are bottles of drink and so forth, but we have seen bricks. When the protests moved up the road, around 500 metres or so further up, we saw lots of stones being thrown. We saw three police officers injured. They had to be taken away."

Plymouth saw bins set on fire and missiles thrown (Image: Sky News)

As tensions escalated, Dan found himself seeking refuge behind a police vehicle as rioters made an aggressive surge towards a Poundland, assuring he was "completely covered" from the chaos.

The situation echoed a previous incident in Birmingham, where fellow reporter Becky Johnson experienced disruption during her live broadcast. A masked protestor barged into shot, outspokenly declaring: "Free Palestine, f*** EDL", visibly catching Becky off guard.

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Dan was told 'stop' if he felt unsafe (Image: Sky News) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Becky quickly apologised for the choice language that aired, addressing viewers with: "Right, apologies for the language you're hearing, but..." As the camera operator tried to move focus amidst the pandemonium, two other masked individuals made their presence known.

Sky News had to abruptly cut the feed, transporting viewers back to Mark Austin in the studio, who conscientiously stated: "We need to leave you there and Becky, we'll have security there and we will leave it. And I apologise once again."

Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot

Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot

Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot

Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot

Sky News reporter warned 'stop' as 'missiles' thrown close to cameras in Plymouth riot