The Metropolitan Police confirmed over X on Friday that Saturday’s Palestinian Solidarity Campaign would be allowed to demonstrate outside the Israeli embassy.
Over 200,000 protesters are expected to participate in the march, The Express reported.
“Participants in the protest will be kept more than 100m away from the embassy grounds, behind barriers controlled by officers. They will not be permitted to enter the area marked in red on the map below and anyone doing so faces arrest,” the police wrote on X.
This is the first time since a rally on 9 October that protest organisers have decided to hold a demonstration in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy.However, even though protesters will be closer to the embassy than in recent months, the same exclusion zone that has been in… pic.twitter.com/67k0zBDqGR
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 16, 2024
The police added that, as a measure of precaution, the time of the demonstration had been changed so that it would not coincide with the time that members of the Jewish community leave synagogues on Shabbat.
Police said that one suspect was arrested ahead of the demonstration on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organization. Since, officers have made nine further arrests "during an incident at Hyde Park Corner," the police stated.
Of those arrested, one was seen in the crowd with an antisemitic placard, and has been arrested for inciting racial hatred. When officers went to arrest him they were assaulted, resulting in six arrests for assaulting an emergency worker.
Two additional people were arrested for refusing to remove face coverings when required to do so by officers under Section 60AA of the Public Order Act, reported the Metropolitan police.
“Precautions have also been taken to ensure the presence of protesters does not unnecessarily disrupt other sensitive premises, including synagogues, either near the form-up point or along the route,” the police stressed. “For example, a restriction was imposed on the start time of the march, delaying it to 1:30 p.m., to ensure an event taking place at a nearby synagogue would have finished before the protest passing outside.”
Precautions have also been taken to ensure the presence of protesters does not unnecessarily disrupt other sensitive premises, including synagogues, either near the form up point or along the route. For example, a restriction was imposed on the start time of the march, delaying…
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 16, 2024
In addition to changing the time of the protest, the police stated that 1,500 officers would be policing the protest - “A significant number will be ensuring a protest march organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign takes place safely and that any offenses are dealt with.”
Comment from the Met on this week's protest
Commander Kyle Gordon, who will lead the policing operation this weekend, said: “The conflict in the Middle East continues to have a profound and polarising impact here in London.
“Since the attacks in Israel on October 7, many in our Jewish and Muslim communities have been fearful and uncertain about their safety. Recent figures published on hate crime across both these communities remind us why we must continue to take such concerns seriously.
“There are also many people who feel very strongly about the continuing military action in Gaza and wish to make those views known through protest.
“Our role as the police is not to take a stance on the merits of that position, nor is it for us to specifically dictate how people express their views, providing they are doing so within the law.
“We are there to ensure protests take place lawfully, minimizing disruption to the life of the wider public and in a way that gives due consideration to the cumulative impact on London’s communities and those who feel most vulnerable in the current climate.
“The protests we have seen since October have thankfully been largely peaceful, and we must take this into account in our policing approach. I hope the same will be true this Saturday.
“Unfortunately, despite this, we have regularly seen officers having to deal with offences related to placards and other hate speech. We do not underestimate the fear this causes, nor the impact of such criminal and unacceptable behaviour on wider community relations.
“I would appeal to all those attending the protest on Saturday to act within the law and to consider the impact of their actions on the safety and security of others. We will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to do so.”
Violence and crime on previous weeks' protests
As mentioned by Gordan, previous weeks' protests have seen arrests for hate crime offenses, breach of the Terrorism Act (2000), and violence toward public officials. On more than one such occasion, fireworks have been launched at police and public landmarks vandalized.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman referred to the demonstrations as "hate marches."
Gary Mond, Chairman of the UK's National Jewish Assembly, told The Jerusalem Post "It remains disturbing that these hate marches, which in reality are anti-Jew rather than pro-Palestinian, are still permitted. They are frightening, not just to the Jewish community (and many Jews live in Kensington not far from the Israeli Embassy) but also to non-Jews, who rightly perceive such demonstrations as exhibitions of extreme opposition to all that Britain stands for.
"The police will undoubtedly do their best to keep order and prevent violence, but this protest should not be taking place at all."