Cops deploy facial recognition and armored units as ‘Unite the Kingdom’ and Nakba Day marches set to collide on FA Cup Final Saturday
By SCM REPORTER
LONDON is bracing for a weekend of chaos as a massive police “ring of steel” is thrown around the capital to prevent rival protest groups from turning the streets into a battlefield.
In what is being described as one of the most complex security challenges in years, Scotland Yard has announced it will deploy an army of 4,000 officers this Saturday.
The force is preparing for a “perfect storm” as two massive, high-tension marches coincide with the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman delivered a chilling warning yesterday, confirming that the Met will take an “assertive, zero-tolerance approach.” For the first time ever at a London protest, police will use live facial recognition technology to scan crowds for known troublemakers.
The capital is currently gripped by a “severe” terror threat level following a string of horrific antisemitic attacks and arsons. Police bosses fear that global tensions could boil over on Saturday when two very different—and very angry—crowds take to the streets:
The Nakba Day March: Thousands supporting the Palestine Solidarity Campaign will march from Kensington to Waterloo Place.
The ‘Unite the Kingdom’ Rally: Supporters of Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley Lennon) will gather in Kingsway before marching to Parliament Square.
Met chiefs are terrified the two groups will clash, or that football hooligans traveling for the FA Cup Final will join the fray.
”We’ll be policing two significant and potentially challenging protests… as well as the FA Cup Final,” DAC Harman said. “We have seen a sustained campaign of arsons targeting Jewish Londoners against a backdrop of increasing hate crime. Fears are particularly heightened.”
The operation is set to burn a £4.5 million hole in the taxpayer’s pocket. To bolster numbers, 660 officers are being bussed in from forces across England and Wales.
But the cost isn’t just financial. DAC Harman admitted that neighborhood “bobbies” are being stripped off the beat to deal with the marches. “The cost to London is much more than a financial one,” he warned, noting that crime-fighting in local boroughs will suffer as a result.
The Met is drawing a hard line on the “vile” chanting and placards that have plagued previous protests. Officers have been ordered to arrest anyone inciting racial or religious hatred on the spot.
In a radical move, the police have slapped strict conditions on the speakers at the rallies. If a speaker uses the stage to spout unlawful extremism, both the speaker and the event organizers will face the handcuffs.
”It is not normal to see criminality of this nature or on this scale at what are billed as peaceful protests,” Harman said, referencing the 33 large-scale Pro-Palestine marches since October that have seen repeated arrests for terrorism support.
The police “arsenal” for Saturday includes:
Live Facial Recognition cameras in Camden to spot suspects.
Helicopters and Drones to track group movements from the sky.
Armored Vehicles on standby for “high-level contingencies.”
Dog and Horse Units to manage crowd surges.
Police have already forced 21 route changes on the Palestine Coalition in recent months to stop them from marching past synagogues on the Jewish Sabbath.
”Nobody should be forced to change their behavior to feel safe in London,” Harman declared. “We will deal swiftly and decisively with anyone who thinks they can come to London to abuse the right to protest by committing crime or stirring up hatred.”
The message from the Yard is clear: If you’re coming to cause trouble, the cameras are watching, and the cells are ready.
