Hundreds of thousands expected at weekend
protests in London after Yemen strikes
Saturday’s march for Gaza ceasefire as part of global
day of action will be followed by static rally for Israel on Sunday
Jane
Clinton
Fri 12 Jan
2024 21.43 GMT
Hundreds of
thousands of people are expected to gather in London over the weekend in
protest against the war in Gaza as the conflict widens to Yemen.
On
Saturday, protesters are expected to gather at Bank Junction at midday as part
of a global day of action involving 30 countries, the Palestine Solidarity
Campaign said.
A giant
puppet of a Syrian child refugee named Little Amal will walk with demonstrators
calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Designed to
highlight the plight of child refugees, the 3.5-metre-high puppet will be
accompanied by a group of Palestinian children during the seventh national
march for Palestine.
On Sunday,
there will be a static rally in support of Israel taking place in Trafalgar
Square from 2.30pm.
Speakers at
the event, organised by the campaign group The 7/10 Human Chain, will include
the Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy, Ayelet Svatitzky – whose mother
and brother were kidnapped by Hamas – Lord Pickles and the MP Christian
Wakeford.
The
protests come just days after the US and UK launched a series of strikes on
Yemen against Houthi rebels, who have been targeting international shipping in
the Red Sea.
The
Metropolitan police said there would be a significant policing presence on
Saturday with about 1,700 officers on duty to police the march, including many
from forces outside London.
Groups will
walk from Bank Junction via Fleet Street and Victoria Embankment to Parliament
Square, where speeches will take place.
Several
conditions will be in place, the force said: any person participating in the
procession must not deviate from the route specified; the speeches at the
assembly after the procession must end by 4.30pm and the whole event must end
by 5pm; and no participant in the protest may enter the area around the Israeli
embassy.
The force
added that there would be “a substantial police presence” for the event on
Sunday.
The
majority of protests and other events held in recent months had taken place
without any notable disorder, the Met said, but there have been a number of
arrests.
There had
been “repeated examples” of placards, banners and other items being carried or
worn, or statements being chanted, “that have crossed the line into religiously
or racially aggravated offences”. Some have even been so serious as to be dealt
with under the Terrorism Act, the force added.
Since
Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October, the Met’s counter-terrorism command has
launched about 30 investigations into suspected offending at protests, the
majority of which relate to potential terrorism offences.
DAC
Laurence Taylor, who will lead the policing operation this weekend, said: “We
absolutely recognise the passion and strength of feeling sparked by the ongoing
conflict and we respect the right of those who wish to protest and have their
voices heard to do so.
“We police
without fear or favour and where our policing approach differs it is a response
to the intelligence and the nature of the event, not those taking part or the
cause they represent.
“Officers
are present primarily to ensure the safety of those involved, but where we see
offences taking place, or where we are made aware of them either online or by
other means, we will not hesitate to act.”
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