Protesters storm town hall in London, demand justice after deadly high-rise fire
People gather outside Kensington Town Hall on June 16, 2017, to demand justice for those affected by the fire that gutted Grenfell Tower. (AFP/ REUTERS Photos)


Several hundred protesters chanting "we want justice" stormed a town hall in London on Friday after a deadly fire at a block of flats killed at least 30 people, Reuters reporters at the scene said.

The protesters barged their way through an automatic door at Kensington and Chelsea council town hall and sought to gain entry to an upper floor. Police barred their way and scuffles broke out, a Reuters reporter said.

The protesters chanted: "We want justice", "bring them out" and "shame on you". A larger crowd of people remained outside.

Some people then left the building though others remained inside. Several dozen police, including mounted officers, were in attendance. The protesters were angered when no one from the council came out to address their concerns, reporters said.

While the deadly blaze at the Grenfell Tower in north Kensington has prompted an outpouring of generosity, it has also unleashed fury at the authorities as the charred tower was cast as a deadly symbol of a divided society.

There have been demands for answers as to how the blaze was able to engulf the 24-storey building, trapping many on the upper floors, along with complaints that not enough was being done to provide assistance for people left homeless or information about those still missing.

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the injured in hospital on Friday but is herself under mounting criticism for not meeting victims of the blaze sooner.

After meeting residents, victims and community leaders affected by the fire, she pledged 5 million pounds ($6.39 million) of support, housing guarantees and help with access to bank accounts and cash.

"The package of support I'm announcing today is to give the victims the immediate support they need to care for themselves and for loved ones. We will continue to look at what more needs to be done," May said in a statement issued by her office.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, London mayor Sadiq Khan, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth, 91, have all visited residents from the tower which housed around 600 people.

MAY UNDER SCRUTINY

May has been criticised from within her own Conservative Party over her response and she pledged on Thursday to hold a public inquiry into the fire at the social housing block. The death toll is expected to rise with dozens still missing.

May met victims privately at a central London hospital on Friday and had expressed her sorrow on television on Thursday after meeting emergency services personnel.

(Credit: 5 News Producer Rachel Lucas)

"She should have been there with the residents. You have to be prepared to receive people's emotions, and not be so frightened about people," former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo told the BBC.

Mayor Khan wrote to May on Friday, saying residents felt increasingly enraged and frustrated by the slow response from the authorities.

"The local community feels their grief has been made worse by the lack of information about their missing family members and friends," he wrote. Residents in other blocks with the same exterior cladding as Grenfell Tower were concerned, he wrote.

"People are terrified that the same thing could happen to them," Khan wrote in the letter.

May's response has been contrasted with that of Corbyn, who hugged locals at the estate during his visit on Thursday, and the royals who met residents and volunteers on Friday.

TERRIBLE

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