More than 4,000 police officers were deployed to the capital to manage a so-called "sterile zone" between a rally organised by far-right figure Tommy Robinson, and a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Nelson's Column was surrounded by metal barriers. Police officers from Wales in riot uniforms prevented anyone getting from the National Gallery to Pall Mall and Regent Street. Police vehicles lined The Mall from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. On the steps above Churchill War Rooms, a two-meter-high metal barrier blocked the road past the Foreign Office towards Whitehall.
The police operation against Archbishop Ajapahian highlights growing tensions between Armenia's government and the clergy, with accusations of power grabs looming over the investigation.