LONDON (AP) — Police were out in force on Saturday to ensure that two rival marches on the streets of London attended by tens of thousands of people and the climax of English soccer’s top cup competition passed without major incident.
In what it described as a “significant public order policing operation,” London’s Metropolitan Police deployed at least 4,000 officers, armored vehicles, horses, dogs, drones and helicopters.
Most of the concerns centered on central London where police sought to ensure there was no crossover between a march organized by far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and the annual demonstration to commemorate Nakba, the Arabic term for “catastrophe” that marks the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948.
Police remain on guard now that the marches for any splinter groups coming in contact, and for any trouble following the conclusion of the FA Cup final, which was attended by more than 83,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in the north of the U.K.’s capital city.
So far, there’s not been much trouble
As of 7:30 p.m., police said 43 people were arrested for a variety of offenses. It said a further 22 were arrested at the FA Cup final, which saw Manchester City beat Chelsea.
In total, it added that four officers were assaulted, none seriously, while a further six were subjected to hate crime offenses.
The marches took place at a particularly radicalized time in British politics, with the extremes on the right and the left advancing across the U.K. in elections last week.
Those protesting are motivated by a variety of issues, including anger at the number of would-be asylum-seekers making the dangerous crossing across the English Channel from the French coast to the U.K. in small boats, to Israel’s actions in Gaza that have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 72,700 people,
As the marches progressed through the afternoon, police said they will be mindful of splinter groups coming in contact.
Some foreigners were barred from entering UK
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offenses of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
“This is not about restricting free speech,” said the Crown Prosecution Service’s director, Stephen Parkinson. “It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly 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 barred include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
“We will block those coming into the U.K. who seek to incite hatred and violence,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is fighting for his political life following those disastrous election results earlier this month. “For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.”
On Friday, Starmer visited the Met’s command center to discuss policing arrangements for the rallies alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in the north London neighborhood of Camden that is not on the route of the “Unite the Kingdom” march, but which is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.