Police have detained at least one person after 'hundreds of thousands' of people descended on London for a pro-Palestine march.
Separate protests have been organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the pro-Israel group Enough is Enough in the capital on Saturday - sparking fears of a clash between rival demonstrators. A third event that was expected to take place, organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, has been cancelled.
Organisers from the PSC say they are expecting "hundreds of thousands" to turn out in London for their protest, with groups seen gathering in Parliament Square shortly before midday on Saturday. Police are placing tight restrictions on both events to avoid mixing crowds. Anyone taking part in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign march must stick to the pre-agreed route and must not set off before 12.30pm. There are also restrictions in place on entering the immediate vicinity of the Israeli Embassy. The stage for the static assembly in Hyde Park at the end of the march has been told to finish by 4pm, and participants must leave by 5pm.
It comes after one police boss warned that Jewish people are avoiding central London at the weekend over fears for their safety. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, who is responsible for public order policing, said: “Our objectives this weekend are to police without fear or favour, to protect the right to protest and to keep the peace. All Londoners have a right to have their voices heard, just as they also have a right to go about their lives without fear and without being subject to serious disruption.
“The cumulative impact of almost seven months of protest is felt widely, but it has been a particular cause of fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities. While there has been a Jewish presence on many of the PSC marches, there are many more Jewish people who do not travel into the centre of London on protest days, or who avoid the tube, hide their identities or otherwise change their behaviour. It is a reality that should concern us all.
“I know there are people who feel the solution is to see these protests banned. The bar for such a decision is incredibly high – it requires a risk of serious public disorder of the sort we simply haven’t seen either in this period of protest or for several years. But while we cannot apply for protests to be banned in the current circumstances, we can use powers under the Public Order Act and other legislation to impose conditions on marches and assemblies in an effort to prevent serious disruption, to keep those with opposing views apart and to ensure wider public safety.”
A march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) began to form up at Parliament Square from midday, setting off at 12.30pm on a route via Whitehall, Piccadilly and Park Lane before ending in Hyde Park, where speeches will take place. Demonstrators have been seen holding placards that read 'ceasefire now' and 'stop arming Israel''.
A static demonstration by the pro-Israel Enough is Enough group is to take place in Pall Mall at the same time, and along the route of the PSC march. Similar events have taken place alongside three previous PSC marches.
A third event, a "walk" organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was due to take place from midday until 2pm. On Friday afternoon, organisers confirmed the event would not take place. The Met Police have said they understand the event may be rescheduled to another date.
Today will be the 13th national protest organised by the PSC since their first shortly after the Hamas attacks on October 7, in addition to a number of local protests. The main protests have ranged in size from 300,000 at the highest point, to around 5-10,000 in recent months. The cost of the protest policing operation in the last six months stands at £38.4m, police said. There have so far been 415 arrests during the protests, with 193 of these for antisemitic offences.
The majority of the antisemitic offences have been in relation to placards, chanting or other expressions of hate speech, police said. There have also been other arrests for more typical public order offences as well as assault, obstruction and other disorder. In addition, there have also been 15 terrorism arrests at protests, with the majority of these have been on suspicion of support for proscribed organisations, namely Hamas.