London Police Prepare for Busy Day with Major Rallies and Soccer Final
Tens of thousands expected to attend protests and FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
LONDON: Police are patrolling the streets of London as tens of thousands of protesters prepare to descend on the UK capital on Saturday for two major demonstrations, while tens of thousands more soccer fans congregate for the final of England’s major domestic cup competition at Wembley Stadium.
Armored vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters have been deployed along with at least 4,000 officers as the Metropolitan Police aims to avoid clashes.
Police have set up routes to keep apart those marching in support of a protest organized by anti-Islam agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and the annual demonstration to commemorate Nakba, the Arabic term for ‘catastrophe’ that marks the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948.
Police have estimated about 50,000 people will attend Yaxley-Lennon’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, while 30,000 more are expected to go to the Nakba Day rally.
Though the marches have been separated, police will be mindful of splinter groups coming in contact and said they will be proactive in ensuring the public’s safety.
A woman has already been arrested after she appeared to refuse to remove a fabric face mask at the pro-Palestinian protest.
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners, and chants viewed on social media may amount to offenses of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
‘This is not about restricting free speech,’ said the Crown Prosecution Service’s director, Stephen Parkinson.
‘It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions.’
The British government has also blocked 11 foreign nationals from entering the country for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally.
Right-wing figures claiming to have been barred include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez, and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
‘We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence,’ said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
‘For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.’
On Friday, Starmer visited the Met’s command center to discuss policing arrangements for the rallies alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in the north London neighborhood of Camden that is not on the route of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, but which is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.
Further north in the capital at Wembley, police will be hoping that the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City, which kicks off at 3 p.m., passes off without incident.
Armored vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones, and helicopters have been deployed along with at least 4,000 officers as the Metropolitan Police aims to avoid clashes.
Police have set up routes to keep apart those marching in support of a protest organized by anti-Islam agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and the annual demonstration to commemorate Nakba, the Arabic term for ‘catastrophe’ that marks the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948.
Police have estimated about 50,000 people will attend Yaxley-Lennon’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, while 30,000 more are expected to go to the Nakba Day rally.
Though the marches have been separated, police will be mindful of splinter groups coming in contact and said they will be proactive in ensuring the public’s safety.
A woman has already been arrested after she appeared to refuse to remove a fabric face mask at the pro-Palestinian protest.
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners, and chants viewed on social media may amount to offenses of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
‘This is not about restricting free speech,’ said the Crown Prosecution Service’s director, Stephen Parkinson.
‘It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions.’
The British government has also blocked 11 foreign nationals from entering the country for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally.
Right-wing figures claiming to have been barred include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez, and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
‘We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence,’ said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
‘For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.’
On Friday, Starmer visited the Met’s command center to discuss policing arrangements for the rallies alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in the north London neighborhood of Camden that is not on the route of the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, but which is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.
Further north in the capital at Wembley, police will be hoping that the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City, which kicks off at 3 p.m., passes off without incident.
