LONDON — Police in London are gearing up as tens of thousands descend on the U.K. capital on Saturday for two major demonstrations and tens of thousands more soccer fans congregate for the final of England’s major domestic cup competition at Wembley Stadium.
Armored vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters will be deployed along with at least 4,000 officers as the Metropolitan Police aims to avoid clashes.
Police have set up routes to keep apart those marching in support of a protest organized by far-right agitator Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and the annual demonstration to commemorate Nakba, the Arabic term for “catastrophe” that marks the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948.
However, they will be mindful of splinter groups outside of the main marches coming in contact.
Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to offenses of stirring up hatred during the rallies.
“This is not about restricting free speech,” said the Crown Prosecution Service’s director, Stephen Parkinson. “It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions.”
The British government has also blocked 11 foreign nationals from entering the country for the “Unite the Kingdom” rally.
Right-wing figures claiming to have been barred include Polish politician Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian politician Filip Dewinter, anti-Islam commentator Valentina Gomez and Dutch activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.
“We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.”
On Friday, Starmer visited the Met’s command center to discuss policing arrangements for the rallies alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in the north London neighborhood of Camden that is not on the route of the “Unite the Kingdom” march, but which is expected to be used by a lot of people attending the event.
Further north in the capital at Wembley, police will be hoping that the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City, which kicks off at 3 p.m., passes off without incident.
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