London is preparing for a ”significant” police presence later this month as two significant demonstrations, a pro-Palestine march and a rally promoted by Tommy Robinson, are set to take place on the same day.
The Metropolitan Police have announced they will impose strict conditions on routes and gathering points to “prevent serious disruption and serious disorder” on Saturday, 16 May, a day also marked by the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The planned pro-Palestine demonstration aims to commemorate Nakba Day, marking the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.
Simultaneously, a “Unite the Kingdom, Unite the West” rally, publicly supported by Tommy Robinson, is scheduled to proceed through the capital.
These events unfold amidst growing calls to ban pro-Palestine marches, with Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, asserting it is “impossible” for such demonstrations not to “incubate” antisemitism, urging a “moratorium” on them.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, speaking after two Jewish men were injured in the Golders Green stabbings, called for “zero tolerance of antisemitism, with regard to hate marches.”
He suggested these events contribute to “a tone of antisemitism, which is in our country.”
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones affirmed it was “a fact” that some marches have featured “antisemitic activity”, suggesting they have been “hijacked” by individuals seeking to sow division. She told Times Radio: “We have seen chants of death, calls for global intifada, and that is wrong.”
However, Ms Davies-Jones also clarified that “not everybody on these marches is antisemitic”, acknowledging people’s right to protest Israel’s actions.
She added: “They have been hijacked by certain individuals who are seeking to cause division and hatred in our country, and are using these marches and are using these positions to cause fear and intimidation.”
She urged potential attendees to “check themselves”, considering who they stand with and what is being said or worn.
Sir Keir Starmer has backed the prosecution of individuals chanting “globalise the intifada” during protests. While police cannot outright ban demonstrations, they possess powers to impose conditions or, in extreme cases, restrict them to static events.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley expressed his “concern” regarding the scale of upcoming protests, stating his force was “looking hard at what conditions and powers we should use.” He clarified that a moratorium on marches was a matter for Parliament.
In a statement on Friday, the Met detailed the specific routes: the “Unite the West” protest will proceed from Kingsway to Whitehall via Aldwych and the Strand, while the Nakba Day protest, organised by the Palestine Coalition and Stand Up To Racism, will go from Exhibition Road to Waterloo Place via Brompton Road, Hyde Park Corner, and Piccadilly.
The force confirmed Public Order Act conditions would govern form-up points, routes, and post-march assembly, with full details to be publicised closer to the events.
