More than 500 police officers were deployed in central London to police the annual pro-Palestinian march and pro-Israel counter-protests outside the Houses of Parliament.
The Metropolitan Police announced details of a major policing operation ahead of Friday’s demonstrations amid tensions caused by ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Police said they had been in discussions with organizers of both demonstrations, which were subject to conditions under the Public Order Act.
The annual al-Quds Day march in support of Palestine, organized by the Islamic Human Rights Council, takes place on the last Friday of Ramadan and must follow a pre-agreed route and end at 7pm.
Demonstrators will gather outside the Home Office on Marsham Street from 3pm, then follow Millbank into Horseferry Road, past the Houses of Parliament and finally Whitehall, where the speech will be delivered.
The second demonstration was a pro-Israel counter-protest. The Met said this would take the form of a static demonstration in Parliament Square, with protesters required to remain in designated areas of Parliament Square.
The force said it would hand out leaflets to protesters clarifying what is legally acceptable, following a series of arrests at pro-Palestinian marches since the Israeli-Gaza conflict broke out last October.
Commander Colin Wingrove, who is leading the police operation, said: “The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to have a profound impact on communities, including in London.
“We recognize that some people believe this march should not be allowed to take place at all.
“We work within the law. Parliament has determined that an application to the Home Secretary to ban a protest can only be made in very rare and specific circumstances. It would require a real risk of serious disorder, neither the intelligence situation nor our conversations with organizers. Give us reason to believe that this threshold will be reached today.
“People’s rights to express their views through protest must be protected and our officers will ensure these rights are protected, but anyone who abuses these rights and uses them as an opportunity to commit crime or incite hatred may face police action.
“We made our expectations clear in our discussions with the organizers of both demonstrations. We expect them to be able to manage their events and we expect participants to comply with the law. If they do not, officers will actively intervene, investigate and Address the allegations.
“In recent months, there have been a number of incidents at protests that are abhorrent to many, but they are not criminal. Our role is to police without fear and within the confines of the law, but our Power does not extend to police taste and decency, no matter what we think about what is being said.
“We will intervene when criminal lines are crossed. Anyone deemed to be supporting a banned group, using hate speech, attempting to directly disrupt other protests or committing other offenses will be dealt with by the police.”
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