Met Police confident Jewish people will be safe in London this weekend
A 90-minute march organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism is due to take place in London on Sunday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Metropolitan Police have said it will be safe for Jewish people to come into London this weekend with both pro-Palestinian and antisemitism protests being held.
A 90-minute march organised by the volunteer-led charity Campaign Against Antisemitism is due to take place in London on Sunday.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, the Gold Commander in London this weekend, said 40,000-50,000 people were expected to attend the protest, which will start outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
Another pro-Palestinian protest of around 100,000 people marching from Park Lane to Whitehall will also be held on Saturday, as the city enters a busy period in the run-up to Christmas.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mr Adelekan said: “We will put all the protection that we put around any march around that antisemitism march, and we are working very closely with the Jewish community.
“I’ve personally met the organisers, the Campaign Against Antisemitism, I’ve had a number of conversations with them on how we’re going to keep them safe.”
Mr Adelekan said chants using the word “jihad” were causing upset and concern in the Jewish community but were “always contextual”.
He added that officers would enter large crowds decisively and quickly to arrest those using the chant to incite violence, terrorism or antisemitism.
Asked about reports that Tommy Robinson, founder and former leader of the far-right English Defence League, could attend the protest, Mr Adelekan said he was “not welcome” at the march and would be engaged by officers.
Mr Robinson was seen among the crowds of counter-protesters who clashed with police during protests held on Armistice Day.
Mr Adelekan added: “What we cannot see and what we will not let happen is the kind of violence that happened on November 11.
“We have got enough officers in order to make sure we prevent that from happening.”
Around 1,500 officers will be deployed for the protests with several hundred drafted in from other forces through mutual aid.
Mr Adelekan said the force’s use of retrospective facial recognition to identify criminals at the protests was “improving all the time”.
Leaflets will also be handed out to protesters by officers along the march to provide “absolute clarity” on what will be deemed an offence, he added.
The Cenotaph and several other monuments will again be guarded throughout the weekend.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.