Met Police call up armoured cars as London braces for a day of pro-Palestine and Tommy Robinson-led protests
Scotland Yard is set to use armored vehicles for the first time in 15 years in a £4.5 million operation against police protests this weekend.
In what has been billed as the toughest package of measures yet, 4,000 police will be deployed to deal with a UK rally led by Tommy Robinson and a pro-Palestinian gathering to mark Nakba Day.
A total of more than 80,000 people are expected to attend the two shows on Saturday, when London will also host the FA Cup Final.
Yesterday the Metropolitan Police announced it was preparing for an operation of ‘unprecedented scale’, including 660 officers from other forces, which will cost taxpayers £4.5 million.
As the Met tries to prevent clashes between supporters of the two rallies, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, dogs and mounted police are on standby, as well as the armored 4x4s used in the riots.
The 9,000kg, 7ft 7in vehicles, worth around £180,000 each, replace vehicles not seen on London’s streets since the riots in 2011.
In a controversial move, the Met will use live facial recognition cameras to search for Unite the Kingdom supporters wanted for violence.
Police do not plan to create a similar watch list for those at the annual Nakba Day rally, which marks the displacement of Palestinians during the founding of the state of Israel.
Scotland Yard will use armored vehicles for the first time in 15 years in a £4.5m operation against police protests this weekend
Activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, at a protest in support of the Iranian people outside Downing Street in London, Britain, on January 11.
Police said there were more than 50 suspects who attended a rally in the United Kingdom in September.
Heavy restrictions were imposed following police concerns about ‘a history of football hooligan groups supporting causes championed by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon’. [aka Tommy Robinson]’.
For the first time under official protest restrictions, speakers at both rallies will face investigation if they use the events as a platform for extremism or hate speech.
The Met’s Deputy Commissioner James Harman said protesters using language now considered a criminal offense could also be arrested.
Recently, lawsuits have been filed with slogans such as ‘Death to the IDF’ and ‘Globalize the Intifada’.
Commenting on the operation, he added: ‘We are doing this at a time of ongoing global instability and tension, where the terrorist threat level has been raised to significant and we have seen a terrorist attack in recent weeks and months, which we know has the potential to escalate tensions and spread through the streets of London.
‘We have witnessed a sustained arson campaign targeting London Jews amid rising hate crimes, particularly antisemitism. Taken together, these factors provide us with significant cause for concern as we head into the weekend.’
