Major Pro-Palestinian March Staged in London as Police Ramp Up Security

Tommy Robinson, an anti-Islam agitator, was in London on Saturday and urged supporters to take to the streets, calling for an “uncontrollable mass of men who are willing to stand for their country.” Mr. Robinson had been barred from posting on X however has since been reinstated to the platform.

On Saturday morning, the London police mentioned in an announcement mentioned that “officers have faced aggression from counterprotesters who are in the area in significant numbers.” It added that the protesters weren’t one cohesive group and that they “confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them” as they moved towards different elements of the town, together with Chinatown.

“Officers are keeping track of them as they do,” the police mentioned, including that if their intention was to confront the primary pro-Palestinian protest, then “we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening.”

The police had allowed the primary march to proceed regardless of resistance from some political circles.

Under British regulation, the police can apply for a ban if there’s a danger of significant public dysfunction, however Britain’s most senior police officer mentioned that threshold had not been met on this case. “The laws created by Parliament are clear,” Mark Rowley, the Met Police’s chief commissioner, mentioned in an announcement on Tuesday. “There is no absolute power to ban protest; therefore there will be a protest this weekend.”

After assembly with Mr. Rowley and in search of assurances that the police would safeguard the remembrance occasions, Mr. Sunak issued an announcement saying he accepted that the march would go forward. But the next day, Ms. Braverman wrote an opinion article that accused the police of bias and described attendees of earlier protests as “hate marchers,” “Islamists” and “mobs,” despite the fact that previous demonstrations had been principally peaceable.

Mr. Sunak’s spokesperson mentioned that Downing Street was investigating the circumstances surrounding the publication of the article, which drew fierce criticism.

Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of many British teams that has organized the weekly rallies, referred to as Ms. Braverman’s language “reckless” and “deeply irresponsible.” Mr. Jamal, who’s of Palestinian and British descent, mentioned the group had been in contact with the police because the earliest demonstration due to the variety of protesters concerned, “and we need to know we can do that safely.”

On Saturday, some on the march mentioned that that they had been motivated by the house secretary’s feedback as nicely.