Police patrolled the streets of London as tens of thousands of protesters descended on the British capital on Saturday for two rival demonstrations, and tens of thousands of football supporters gathered for the final of the major domestic competition of the England Cup at Wembley Stadium.
Armored vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters have been deployed along with at least 4,000 officers as the Metropolitan Police seek to avoid clashes. Hundreds more are waiting.
The police tried to ensure that there was no crossover between the march organized by far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennonbetter known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and the annual event to commemorate Nakbathe Arabic term for the “catastrophe” that marked the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948.
So far there haven’t been many problemsBy mid-afternoon, police said 31 people had been arrested for various offenses.
“Although this figure may seem high, so far both protests have taken place without major incident,” the Met said.
The marches took place at a particularly radicalized time in British politics, with the advance of far right and left across the UK. elections last week.
Protesters gather around Kingsway to march during the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ event called by far-right activist Tommy Robinson in London on May 16.Zeynep Demir/Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe protesters are motivated by various issues, including anger at the number of potential asylum seekers make the dangerous crossing of the English Channel from the French coast to the United Kingdom on small boats, to Israel’s actions in Gaza which devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 72,700 people,
As the marches progressed into the afternoon, police said they would be careful of dissident groups coming into contact.
Some foreigners have been barred from entering the UKProsecutors have been asked to determine whether signs, banners and protest songs posted on social media can constitute crimes of inciting hatred during rallies.
“This is not about restricting freedom of expression,” said Stephen Parkinson, director of the Crown Prosecution Service. “This is about preventing hate crimes and protecting the public, especially at a time of heightened tensions. »
The British government also blocked 11 foreign nationals from entering the country for the “Unite the Kingdom” rally. Right-wing figures claiming to have been banned include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
“We will block the entry into the UK of those who seek to incite hatred and violence,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is fight for your political life following the disastrous election results earlier this month. “Anyone who sets out to cause chaos on our streets, or to intimidate or threaten anyone, can expect to face the full force of the law. »
Starmer visited the Met command center on Friday to discuss policing arrangements for rallies alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time during a protest police operation, with cameras installed in the Camden area of north London, which is not on the Unite the Kingdom march route but is expected to be used by many people attending the event.
Further north, in the capital Wembley, police hope the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City, which begins at 3 p.m., takes place without incident. Around 90,000 fans are expected.
