Arrests warning and strict conditions ahead of pro-Palestine march
A Palestine Coalition demonstration is due to take place in central London this afternoon (10 Oct)
Police have warned protesters that they could be arrested if they refuse to remove face masks at a pro-Palestine march.
The Metropolitan Police anticipate between 7,000 and 10,000 demonstrators will attend the Palestine Coalition march in central London on Saturday.
The force said the event has the “potential to have a greater impact on communities than the previous national marches”, being so close to the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
It said that using powers under the Public Order Act, officers can arrest protesters who refuse to remove a mask they are wearing with the intention to “hide their identity, intimidate and commit offences”.
It has imposed conditions on the march to “minimise the risk of serious disruption to communities”.
Under the Section 14(3) Public Order Act 1986, anyone participating in the event must remain within the red shaded area on the map above (Embankment) until such time as the procession commences along the prescribed route.
The police require the group to travel via Westminster Bridge, York Road, Waterloo Bridge and the Strand on to Whitehall, with a rally concluding by 6.30pm.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin said: “We know Saturday’s event, so close to the third anniversary of the terror attack on Israel, has the potential to have a greater impact on communities than the previous national marches.”
Mr Galvin, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said the policing presence on Saturday will be “significant” with conditions imposed on the event.
“We will also be using powers under the Public Order Act requiring anyone in the protest area wearing face coverings to deliberately conceal their identity to remove them,” Mr Galvin continued.
Under the act, the police have the power to arrest someone who refuses to remove a mask, he added.
He said: “And we will do so if we see groups of people who refuse and are covering their faces with the intention to hide their identity, intimidate and commit offences. That is unacceptable.
“But for individual cases, officers must carefully assess why a person is wearing a mask and respond in a measured way.
“Where necessary, they will intervene and enforce the law, recognising that this may sometimes lead to conflict. That is the nature of policing in certain circumstances.
“On other occasions an arrest may not be the most appropriate course of action in that moment.
“This is not ‘two-tier policing’ – it is officers exercising professional judgment and acting proportionately based on the facts before them.”
The rally must be contained in the area of Whitehall below, and conclude by 6.30pm. Any speeches or music must end by 5.30.
He said there have been 35 large protests organised by the groups that make up the Palestine Coalition since October 2023, adding that “the majority who attend do so peacefully and lawfully”.
Mr Galvin said the force “have seen arrests from a small minority across these protests for racially and religiously aggravated public order offences, for stirring up racial hatred and for supporting terrorist organisations”.
The Met have imposed conditions on the march, which will form on the Embankment at midday.
The force has said that any speeches and music must conclude by 5.30pm.
Counter-protest
A counter-protest by Stop The Hate is also due to take place outside New Scotland Yard on Saturday, with the force saying it has been in contact with representatives from the group.
The force has also imposed conditions on the demonstration “to minimise the risk of serious disruption to communities and serious disorder”.
The demonstrators must remain within a designated area outside the Met’s headquarters, with the assembly concluding at 2.30pm.
The Palestine Coalition organising the march includes Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War, CND, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al Aqsa and Palestinian Forum in Britain.
The police can require the removal of a face covering if they “reasonably believe that the person is wearing it wholly or mainly for the purpose of concealing their identity”.