Met police preparing for large scale far-right and pro-Palestine protests in London

"British police are preparing to mount one of their largest scale operations in recent memory with more than 100,000 protesters set to march through the streets of London on the same day as the FA Cup final in Wembley. The Guardian understands that officers in vast swathes of central London will be granted extra powers in order to police the far-right Unite the Kingdom march organised by Stephen Yaxley Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson. At the same time, as smaller counter march organised by pro-Palestine protesters will take place, with the two events to be separated by police."

"The scale of the last UTK march in September stunned both organisers and police with more than 150,000 joining a crowd that occupied Parliament Square in Westminster. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said the rise of the far right represented a fight for the soul of this country, and the march comes after Nigel Farage's Reform UK won the biggest share of the vote at last week's English council elections. Britain's largest Muslim group has warned people to avoid central London this weekend amid fears the second event could reach a similar size."

"The Metropolitan police has 4,000 officers on duty, backed up by armoured Sandcat vehicles and drones. Most will be deployed to police the UTK march, and keeping away counter protesters. The situation is complicated by the cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea, which kicks off at 3pm. The Met this week said football hooligans have in the past supported Robinson, and social media videos features calls for them to join Saturday's protest."

"The Unite the Kingdom march last year, which was backed by money from the US, featured stages where hate speech amplified over Westminster by a string of extremist participants who denounced Islam and promoted Christian nationalism. Saturday's event will see the far right thronging streets that house Britain's most powerful institutions in Whitehall. The Guardian understands police will try to seek pros"

More than 100,000 protesters are expected to march through central London on the same day as the FA Cup final at Wembley. Police plan a large-scale operation with extra powers to manage the far-right Unite the Kingdom march organized by Stephen Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. A smaller pro-Palestine counter march is planned, with police separating the two events. The last Unite the Kingdom march drew over 150,000 people and occupied Parliament Square. The Metropolitan Police will deploy 4,000 officers, supported by armoured Sandcat vehicles and drones, mostly to police the Unite the Kingdom march and keep counter protesters away. The FA Cup kickoff at 3pm and past links between football hooligans and Robinson add complexity, alongside social media calls for hooligans to join. The march follows political gains for Reform UK and warnings from Britain’s largest Muslim group to avoid central London due to fears of a similar crowd size.

Read at www.theguardian.com