Met urges organisers to call off protest following Manchester attack

The Met has urged the organisers of an event that could see more than 1,000 people gather in central London this weekend in support of a terrorist organisation to call off their plans.

Defend Our Juries have organised an event in Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon which will involve people displaying placards in support of Palestine Action, a group proscribed by the UK Government. It is the third such mass law breaking event organised in recent months.

The previous two events have seen a total of 1,422 people arrested, the vast majority for supporting a proscribed organisation.

Saturday’s planned event comes just days after a terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester that saw two people killed and others seriously injured.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: "The horrific attack in Manchester has caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London.

"Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation.

"By deliberately choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing valuable resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most.

“People have been debating for the last two years whether pro-Palestinian protests are simply a call for peace, or have an implicit intention to stir up antisemitism. Continuing such protests within hours of Thursday’s awful terrorist murder of British Jews, when communities are most fearful, will likely create further tensions and some might say lacks sensitivity.

“It is for these reasons we have asked Defend our Juries to delay or cancel their protest this weekend.

“However if they fail to do so, they should not think for a moment that their offending will go unpoliced. If we have to, we will call in support from forces across the UK to ensure we can arrest all those breaking the law in support of a terrorist group while we also keep communities safe.

"Some may ask why we do not ban the protest, but there is no power in law for us to do so. Nor is there even the possibility for us to apply to the Home Secretary to ban static assemblies in the way there is – in very limited circumstances – for protest marches.”

There was already an increased police presence in the vicinity of synagogues, other Jewish community venues and in boroughs with larger Jewish populations for the Jewish High Holy Days.

Following the attack in Manchester, that policing presence was increased further and will remain so through the weekend.

We are also aware of increased concern in London’s Muslim communities who fear being the target of hate crime and intimidation following the attack in Manchester, at a time when such offences were already increased. Additional resources will be deployed in the vicinity of mosques and in communities with larger Muslim populations in the coming days to provide reassurance and to keep people safe.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Claire Smart, who is in charge of the policing operation in London this weekend, added: “This weekend’s policing operation takes place at a time of noticeably heightened community concerns – not just in Jewish and Muslim communities but across society more broadly.

“We are days away from the two-year anniversary of the attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, since which we have seen almost constant conflict in Gaza, the impact of which has been felt globally and certainly here in London.

“Relations between communities have been put under further strain in recent months by the polarised debate on immigration matters and related protests which have played out in locations across London.

“The role of our officers is to police all communities, to provide all Londoners with reassurance and a genuine sense of safety and to do so without fear or favour. I know they will continue to do that this weekend even in these challenging circumstances.”

As well as additional patrols being carried out by local officers, Londoners can also expect to see deployments of specialist Project Servator officers across many crowded places and locations in the capital. These dedicated patrols are designed to disrupt any potential criminal or terrorist activity, with these officers are specially trained to spot tell-tale signs that someone may be preparing to carry out a crime or act of terrorism.

Specialist officers will also be working with event organisers to review policing and security plans already in place for various public events happening across the weekend, and ensure appropriate measures are in place to keep people safe.

As a further precautionary measure, additional armed police officers will also be readily deployable across London and armed response vehicles will be carrying out regular patrols across every London borough over the coming days.

We continue to ask the public to remain alert, but not alarmed. If you see something suspicious, then trust your instincts and either tell a police officer, or you can call police, in confidence, on 0800 789 321 or make a report online via www.gov.uk/ACT.

If it's an emergency, always call 999.