Public order policing operation for protests on 6th and 7th September

Earlier this afternoon a briefing was held to outline the Met's policing plan ahead of a busy weekend of protests and events.

A transcript of the briefing is provided below for information.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan:

"We are expecting another very busy weekend in London with a number of events on our radar.

"But before focusing on this weekend I think it is worth reflecting on the wider demand facing the Met when it comes to protest and major events.

"This has been a particularly busy summer and the picture for September shows no sign of changing.

"We continue to see frequent and often large-scale protests relating to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. We’ve also seen an increase in recent weeks in protests on immigration issues.

"Add to this the countless smaller protests taking place every day in central London and the many huge events such as Pride, Notting Hill Carnival, concerts at Wembley and major sporting fixtures.

"In the three months since June we have used 62,829 officer shifts policing protests and events.

"In September we anticipate using another 19,461 officer shifts as we police further protest including a protest next week organised by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, and what we expect to be a significant demonstration during the visit by President Trump.

"A conservative estimate puts the costs of policing protests and major events in London this month at more than £10 million.

"We accept that this is all part of policing in a capital city, but it does present unique cost and resourcing pressures for the Met.

"All the officers you see out on these busy protest and event days have other core roles and while we have done a lot to limit the number of officers pulled away from frontline duties, it is inevitable that there will still be an impact on other policing priorities.

"I know Helen will touch on that again later when looking at the resources required to respond to the ongoing protests in support of Palestine Action."

THIS WEEKEND

"On Saturday there are a number of parallel events. The most significant of these, in terms of size, will be a demonstration organised by the Palestine Coalition which includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and other groups.

"It will include a march from Russell Square to Whitehall, via the Strand.

"There will then be an assembly in Whitehall where speeches will take place.

"It is likely there will be a counter protest positioned in an agreed location somewhere along the route.

"This is the latest in a long series of such demonstrations. They are well attended and result in relatively few offences.

"The offences we do see are most frequently to do with either breaching conditions that have been imposed, putting messages on placards that cross into a criminal offence or using threatening words or behaviour towards protesters from an opposing group.

"Officers will be deployed at the form up point and at the assembly point during tomorrow’s protest.

"They will also be positioned along the route with a focus on the area where the main march passes close to the counter protest.

"Also on Saturday afternoon, a protest is due to take place in Parliament Square.

"It is organised by a group called Defend Our Juries and is likely to involve people gathering in the square and holding up placards expressing support for Palestine Action.

"Palestine Action is a group that has been proscribed by the UK Government. It is a criminal offence to be a member of it or to express support for it.

"Those participating in this protest and in previous such protests do so knowing that their actions are unlawful.

"I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offence under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested.

"We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.

"As we have shown in recent weeks, those arrested will be investigated and are very likely to be prosecuted.

"We have the plans and resources in place to deal with any eventuality. Attempts to overwhelm policing and the wider criminal justice system will not be successful.

"On Sunday a national march against antisemitism will take place in central London. It will form up at the junction of Hallam Street and Weymouth Street which is to the north of Oxford Circus before heading to Whitehall.

"Similar marches in previous years have attracted significant numbers.

"We recognise the continuing concerns among members of London’s Jewish communities about safety at events.

"We are working with the organisers and the Community Security Trust to make sure the policing and wider safety plan is robust.

"We will have officers along the route to deal with any incidents and to ensure the safety of everyone taking part."

IMMIGRATION PROTESTS

"As we deal with these more resource intensive protests and events in central London, we are also planning for further protests at or near hotels accommodating asylum seekers in London.

"We have seen a number of similar protests in recent weeks.

"Let me start by saying that we understand the strength of feeling on this issue and we have no interest in standing in the way of protest providing it is peaceful and lawful. That is not our role.

"Sadly, last weekend we saw a minority cross the line into criminality, including unacceptable aggression directed at officers both in Canary Wharf and West Drayton.

"In one incident, masked men confronted officers inside a shopping centre in Canary Wharf. Officers had to use force – including PAVA spray – to protect themselves.

"There has been commentary on social media about this particular incident, with some claims that officers intentionally directed that force towards women and a child. That is not true.

"We are making video footage available to provide an insight into the challenging situation they faced.

"We’d continue to urge anyone taking part in these protests to do so lawfully and to cooperate with officers.

"We would also urge anyone protesting to consider their own responsibilities for the safety of their children if they’re bringing them to protests and putting them in close proximity to confrontational situations.

"Some have suggested that our officers are in the wrong because they are not taking a side in these protests.

"That is fundamentally not what we are here to do.

"Our role in the context of protest remains as it always has been:

• To police without fear or favour.
• To enforce the law.
• To keep the peace by ensuring groups with opposing views do not come together.
• And to prevent serious disorder and serious disruption to ordinary people going about their lives.

"We have a responsibility to ensure those exercising their right to protest can do so safely.

"You see this play out every week in London with thousands of people regularly taking to the streets to demonstrate with minimal criminality, disorder or need for police intervention.

"However, when protests cross the line into criminality our officers have a duty to act.

"We will intervene and we will make arrests where we need to."

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan, Head of Operations at the Met's Counter Terrorism Command:

“We have shown during past demonstrations that the Met is capable of dealing with the extremely large numbers of people being arrested for this offence. A large part of that is down to our public order and frontline policing colleagues who have done a fantastic job in dealing with the people on the ground and arresting those suspected of committing offences.

“But it’s also involved a huge effort from our officers in CTP London who have been working hand-in-glove with our frontline policing colleagues to ensure that those arrested are processed correctly, before working through the cases and investigate them, with a view to putting case files to the CPS for charging decisions.

“This work has involved hundreds of officers from across CTP London – both on the day of any protest activity itself, but then also in the days and weeks that have followed in order to progress those investigations.

“As you’ve seen from our update earlier in the week, here in London, we’ve now charged 120 people who were arrested at some of the earlier events in late July and August.

“And that work very much continues. We’re in the process of sending across another 25 case files to the CPS for charging decisions in relation to people arrested on 9 August, and we expect to be sending more of these across for review in the coming days and weeks.

“And just touching on the national picture within CT Policing at the moment as well – as of today, there have been more than 800 (804) arrests in total for similar offences linked to Palestine Action across the country.

“And while the majority of those cases are here in London, colleagues from right across CT Policing are carrying out similar work to us to investigation these cases.

“This has involved a significant amount of work for policing, but we have also been working extremely closely with CPS counterparts in order to deal with such a large volume of cases.

“This has led to us jointly putting in place a streamlined process so that the case files can be prepared and then reviewed in the most efficient and effective as possible.

“But as well as dealing with the reactive investigation of those arrested for showing support towards Palestine Action, we’ve also carried out a proactive investigation into a group of people suspected of being involved in encouraging support for the proscribed group.

“This resulted in the arrest of six people in England and one person in Scotland earlier this week, with all seven charged with offences under the Terrorism Act. As I’m sure you’re aware, they all appeared in court yesterday.

THE COMING WEEKEND

“So, my message to people ahead of this weekend is that if you are thinking of coming out to deliberately show support for Palestine Action then I would urge you to think again.

“We have shown we are able to, and that we will arrest and deal with anyone suspected of committing an offence. As DAC Adelekan has already talked about, there is a comprehensive public order policing plan in place to deal with and manage this kind of activity whatever the number.

“And as we’ve shown in SO15, and elsewhere across the Counter Terrorism Policing network that we will investigate and look to prosecute all those we suspect of committing any offences under the Terrorism Act.

“Far from overwhelming us, the only thing these people have achieved is to get themselves arrested and many are now facing the stark reality of being prosecuted for a Terrorism Act offence.

“I also want to address the false narrative that the proscription of Palestine Action means that it is stopping people from coming out and showing support to Palestine more widely. That is absolutely not the case, and there are other legitimate ways to carry out protest activity, which do not involve breaking Counter Terrorism laws.

“Thousands have been doing this on a regular basis following the terrible events in October 2023 and what has been happening since. They were doing this before the proscription of Palestine Action, but importantly thousands having been doing this since the proscription as well, and as DAC Adelekan has outlined, we fully support people exercising their right to lawfully protest.

“Indeed, on the same day that more than 500 people were being arrested in London for showing support to Palestine Action, less than two miles away around 15,000 people were peacefully demonstrating and showing their support for Palestine. By contrast, only 1 person was arrested during that event, so you see that this is not about stopping protests.

“However, people are showing support in a public place towards a proscribed terrorist organisation – which Palestine Action is – then the public expects us to act, and that is what we have done and that is what we will continue to do.

“The other thing people need to consider and understand is that there are serious consequences for people convicted of an offence under the Terrorism Act.

“This includes potential travel restrictions in the future to places like the US and across Europe. It may impact future career prospects and it may impact on academic opportunities, as a conviction under the Terrorism Act will show up on DBS and other checks carried out by universities or potential employers or professional bodies.

“If the intention is to overwhelm the system on Saturday, that is not something that will happen.”