Two major protests are set to take place in London, UK, on Saturday, and the Metropolitan Police warns it could be one of the most tense days in recent years, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.
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Tens of thousands of people are expected to participate in the "Unite the Kingdom" march, organized by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, and the annual pro-Palestinian Nakba Day march.
London police will deploy over 4,000 officers to maintain order at these two events, which police officials say is an "unprecedented scale in recent years" due to fears that far-right demonstrators could clash with Palestinian protest supporters if not kept apart. Officers will be equipped with riot gear, use drones to search for suspects, and utilize real-time facial recognition cameras.
The protests unfold against a backdrop of growing concern over the rise in hate crimes, particularly antisemitism, in the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated earlier this month that there may be grounds for banning certain protests, and that people chanting slogans like "globalize the intifada"—based on the Arabic word for uprising—should be held accountable. He vowed to use the "full force of the state" to combat antisemitism following a knife attack in North London in April that left two members of the Jewish community hospitalized.
"Fears in Jewish communities have particularly intensified, but we are also seeing growing concern more broadly, including in Muslim communities," London Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said this week. "Together, these factors give us serious cause for concern ahead of the weekend."
Britain raises terror threat level following anti-Semitic attack in London01.05.26, 16:36
In early May, the UK's terror threat level was raised to "substantial," and the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, stated that antisemitism is now the "greatest national security emergency" in nearly a decade.
On Friday, the UK government banned 11 foreign far-right agitators from entering the country ahead of the "Unite the Kingdom" march scheduled for Saturday.
A previous "Unite the Kingdom" event organized by Yaxley-Lennon last September drew at least 100,000 people, and Harman said that while many participants were peaceful, there were also clashes with police and incidents of anti-Muslim hate speech, resulting in a number of arrests for violence.
Pressure on the police is likely to increase as tens of thousands of football fans will also be in London on Saturday, heading to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup Final.