Two major protests are taking place on Saturday in London, with the Metropolitan Police warning it may be one of its busiest days in recent years.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to march for Unite the Kingdom, an event arranged by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, and the annual pro-Palestine Nakba Day march.
London’s Metropolitan Police is drafting more than 4,000 officers to police the two events, a scale of operation it said was “unprecedented in recent years,” over fears that far-right demonstrators may clash with pro-Palestine marchers if not kept apart. Officers are being equipped with riot gear and will have drones to scan for suspects, as well as the use of live facial recognition cameras.
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The protests come in the wake of growing concern over rising levels of hate crime, in particular antisemitism, in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month that there may be a case for banning some protests, and people chanting slogans such as “globalise the intifada,” based on an Arabic word for uprising, should be prosecuted. He pledged to use the “full power of the state” to crack down on antisemitism in the wake of an April stabbing in North London where two Jewish men were hospitalised.
“Fears in Jewish communities are particularly heightened, but we have also seen increased concerns more broadly, including in Muslim communities,” the Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said this week. “Taken together, these factors give us significant cause for concern heading into the weekend.”
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