- Police deal with people ‘crossing the line’ as thousands expected to join march
Hundreds of Metropolitan Police officers will line the streets of London tomorrow, preparing for a pro-Palestinian march in the capital.
Protesters are expected to cross the West End from midday on Saturday, arriving in Whitehall, where the speech will take place.
Police said they would take swift action if participants made statements or held banners or placards that “crossed the line into a religious or racially aggravated crime.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is organizing marches calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, said on Wednesday that police were “threatening to disrupt” the demonstrations.
The group said it had told the Metropolitan Police on Monday that the protest would culminate in speeches on two stages, in Trafalgar Square and Whitehall.
Troops gave the go-ahead for the march, albeit under heavy police security, although permission had not been granted earlier this week.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, who heads up policing, said: “We respect people’s right to protest, but so do other Londoners and visitors.”
“I understand that the repeated protests since October have had a cumulative impact on businesses, residents and people wishing to travel to the West End.
“It may be difficult to strike a balance between competing rights, but we intend to do so independently, impartially, and always within the law.”
The Met added that it was “uncompromising when it comes to enforcing the law” and was considering banning face coverings at marches and introducing additional dispersal powers.
The force also said protests could begin by 11 a.m. Saturday and end by 5:30 p.m. at the latest.
The march comes just days after hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators stormed Barclays branches across the UK last Saturday to protest the company’s alleged funding of attacks on Israel.
Demonstrators organized a “day of action” and protested outside the bank’s 54 branches, demanding an end to what they say is Barclays “funding” Israel’s attacks on Palestine.
And in early January, more than 200,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched through London in preparation for the first major demonstration of 2024, forcing the Metropolitan Transport Authority to make six arrests.
Some demonstrators appeared to agree with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea, chanting “Yemeni, Yemeni, we are proud” as they marched through the capital. , turn another ship around,” chanted.
Others waved Palestinian flags, chanted “Freedom, Freedom, Palestine” and lit smoke bombs as they marched from Queen Victoria Street to Parliament Square, calling for a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. .