UK police plan 'unprecedented' operation to prevent trouble at weekend protests
Police expect 80,000 people and will use 4,000 officers, helicopters and live facial recognition to keep rival groups apart.
- London police will mount an "unprecedented" operation this Saturday to manage two major protests—a pro-Palestinian Nakba Day march and the "Unite the Kingdom" rally—alongside the FA Cup final at Wembley.
- Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman stated the force will deploy 4,000 officers, including 660 from outside forces, amid heightened terrorism threat levels and recent antisemitic attacks in London.
- Authorities expect at least 80,000 participants, with police estimating around 50,000 at the Unite the Kingdom rally and 30,000 for Nakba Day, while deploying live facial recognition for the first time in a protest policing operation.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the government blocked seven foreign "far-right agitators" from entering Britain for the Unite the Kingdom march, describing it as "designed to confront and intimidate" the country's diverse population.
- Officials aim to avoid a repeat of violent clashes at the previous September event that left over 50 suspects unidentified, remaining mindful of football hooligan groups supporting Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson.
21 Articles
21 Articles
UN expert alarmed by systemic erosion of the right to protest in UK
As the Met police tool up ahead of a big day of protest in London on Saturday 16 May, the UN has warned that the UK is eroding people’s rights. The UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, has called on the UK to uphold its international human rights obligations. This follows the adoption of restrictive legislation and political calls for a blanket ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations.…
UK police plan huge op for weekend far-right, Palestine rallies
London police were on Thursday gearing up for one of their largest operations in recent years, a deployment of several thousand officers to keep the peace when far-right activist Tommy Robinson and pro-Palestinian groups hold duelling weekend marches. London's Metropolitan Police will deploy 4,000 officers on Saturday -- alongside horses, dogs, drones and helicopters -- across the capital, which is also hosting the FA Cup Final on the same day. …
More than 4,000 police officers will be working on Saturday in the English capital to frame "potentially difficult" gatherings.
UK police plan operation to prevent trouble at anti-Israel, anti-immigration protests
"The scale of the operation is unprecedented in recent years," Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman told reporters, saying it would involve some 4,000 officers backed up by helicopters.
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