Met's plans to police various protests
Officers have been brought in from other areas of the UK from Friday afternoon through Sunday
The Metropolitan Police are bringing in officers from elsewhere in the country to bolster resources in London with a number of protests expected this weekend.
On Friday afternoon (8th August), officers will be deployed in the vicinity of hotels being used to accommodate asylum seekers in anticipation of possible protest and counter protest.
Officers will also be policing a number of local protests in opposition to continued Israeli military action in Gaza.
On Saturday (9th August), the latest national demonstration by the Palestine Coalition, made up of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and other groups, will take place with a march from Russell Square to Whitehall followed by an assembly with speeches.
Another protest is also planned in nearby Parliament Square organised by Defend Our Juries where participants are expected to intentionally break the law by holding up placards expressing support for the proscribed group Palestine Action. Previous such protests have seen more than 100 arrests made in total.
Police say: “Anyone showing support for Palestine Action can expect to be arrested. I would once again urge people to consider the seriousness of that outcome. An arrest under the Terrorism Act can have very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances. Also, as we have seen this week, it is very likely an arrest in these circumstances will lead to a charge.”
**"Our role is... to police without fear or favour"**
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who will lead the policing operation, said: “This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence. I’m grateful not just to the Met officers who will be working incredibly hard over the coming days but to those colleagues from other forces who have been deployed to London to support us.
“Our role in the context of protest remains as it always has been – to police without fear or favour, to enforce the law, to keep the peace by ensuring groups with opposing views do not come together and to prevent serious disorder and serious disruption to ordinary people going about their lives.
“There is no doubt that the scale of the public order policing operation will put pressure on our resources, but Londoners can be assured that we have plans in place that will allow us continue to police in communities across all 32 boroughs, responding to emergencies and keeping the public safe.”
Restrictions are in place, as the following maps show:
The form up must not begin before 12 noon in Russell Square and anyone taking part must not arrive before then.
Participants in the procession must not deviate from the route shown on the map above. They must not stop and form static assemblies anywhere along the route.
Sunday protests and events
On Sunday, the FA Community Shield match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace will take place at Wembley. Police anticipate that Palace fans will gather in central London ahead of the match and will have extra officers there to deal with any incidents.
On Sunday afternoon, from 3pm, there will be a ‘National March for the Hostages’ in central London organised by Stop the Hate and a number of Jewish organisations. There will be a policing and security operation in place to ensure the safety of participants.
Officers will also be deployed in Canary Wharf in anticipation of a planned protest and possible counter protest relating to the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.
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