Officers responded to reports of a large gathering at a school in North London Thursday evening, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement Friday.
When they entered the facility in Stamford Hill, they found hundreds of people packed together in violation of Covid-19 regulations, according to the statement.
Wedding ceremonies may only take place with a maximum of six people in attendance, as per UK 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 effect to save lives and protect the NHS,” Chief Inspector 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’s windows were covered to prevent people from seeing in, and that many attendees “left when the police arrived.”
Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville 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 reported that the school said the facilities had been let.
A spokesman for the school told the BBC: “We didn’t know the wedding was taking place.”
He added, “We are absolutely shocked at last night’s event and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
The former director, Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, died last April after contracting the corona virus.
In addition to fining the event organizer, police fined £ 200 ($ 274) to five other attendees.
“I am deeply disappointed that events like this are still happening in Stamford Hill, despite the very serious pandemic situation we are in and the number of lives already lost in the Charedi community and throughout the town,” said Glanville. in the statement.
“We will be meeting with the rabbinate 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 of which have been criticized for ignoring social distance rules.
Community leaders had expressed disappointment at hearing previous reports suggesting 400 people attended.
The Metropolitan Police said Friday afternoon that while “initial phone calls suggested that about 400 people attended the wedding, it is now believed that about 150 people attended.”
Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of Stamford Hill Shomrim civilian patrols, called on people to obey the rules.
“This is a time for unity, people should try to think of others and keep each other safe,” he told CNN on Friday.
“At a time when we all make such great sacrifices, it amounts to a brutal withdrawal of responsibility to protect life and such illegal behavior is abhorred by the vast majority of the Jewish community,” he added.
The Council of Deputies of British Jews also said they “condemn this blatant and disgraceful violation of the Covid-19 regulations unconditionally, which goes against the Jewish teaching that preserving life is of the highest value.”
“We are shocked by the news,” she added.
On Thursday, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel announced fines of £ 800 ($ 1,100) for people who continue to ignore the restrictions of the coronavirus by attending events and gatherings.
“The science is clear: such irresponsible behavior poses a significant threat to public health,” Patel said at a briefing in Downing Street.
“Not only for those in attendance, but also for our wonderful police officers who attend these events to close them down,” she added. “As this latest measure shows, we will not stand by as a small number of individuals endanger others.”