Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather in the British capital on Saturday for two contrasting rallies, prompting the London police to put in place what they called an \u201cunprecedented\u201d security operation.<\/p>\n
Amid fears that far-right demonstrators from one rally could clash with antiracism activists and pro-Palestinian marchers of the other, 4,000 police officers, as well as helicopters, armed vehicles and drone teams, will be deployed, the police said. Adding to the complexity, the FA Cup final, a major soccer competition, will also be held on Saturday afternoon, and it is expected to bring large crowds to the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scale of the operation is unprecedented in recent years,\u201d said Cmdr. James Harman, the deputy assistant commissioner of London\u2019s Metropolitan Police Service, in a Wednesday news briefing ahead of the protests. \u201cThe planning for it has been ongoing for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
One demonstration is being organized by Tommy Robinson<\/a>, a far-right, anti-Islam agitator whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and his supporters, under the banner, \u201cUnite the Kingdom.\u201d Mr. Yaxley-Lennon, who has several criminal convictions and has served several stints in prison, says it is a demonstration for \u201cnational unity, free speech and Christian values.\u201d<\/p>\n The other protest planned for Saturday is an annual Nakba Day demonstration, commemorating the mass displacement<\/a> of Palestinians from their homes in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli War, that organizers say<\/a> also stands \u201cunited against Tommy Robinson and the far right.\u201d That rally is organized by a coalition of groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Stop the War Coalition and others, and they will be joined by \u201cStand Up To Racism,\u201d a group opposing Mr. Robinson\u2019s march.<\/p>\n Both demonstrations will take place against an increasingly tense political backdrop, with the country\u2019s terrorism threat level increased in recent weeks amid rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and extreme right-wing sentiment. Tensions over the wars in the Middle East could stoke conflict on the streets of London, the authorities warned.<\/p>\n Protesters will be required to stick to prearranged routes and to disperse by a designated time, or face arrest. The police also have extended powers to arrest any speakers who use the events \u201cas a platform for unlawful extremism or for hate speech,\u201d Commander Harman said, noting that it was the first time these restrictions had been imposed for a rally of this type since the powers were enacted recently.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have every hope and every expectation that it should go peacefully and well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Live facial recognition technology will be used for the first time in policing a protest, in a part of the city where people taking part in the right-wing rally are expected to gather beforehand. The technology will compare those walking by with \u201cthe faces of those on a specific watchlist\u201d of people wanted for suspected criminal offenses, Commander Harman said.<\/p>\n Some foreign far-right activists have also been barred from entering Britain for that demonstration, the government announced this week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not allow people to come to the U.K., threaten our communities and spread hate on our streets,\u201d Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a speech on Monday. \u201cThis is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Britain late last month raised<\/a> its national terrorism threat level to \u201csevere\u201d from \u201csubstantial,\u201d the fourth of five levels on its scale<\/a>, meaning officials assessed that an attack was highly likely in the next six months. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Center, which is responsible for the assessment, announced the change after a stabbing<\/a> attack on two Jewish men in the north London neighborhood of Golders Green and a series of other antisemitic attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n The center said the increase was \u201cnot solely a result of that attack,\u201d but also of broader concerns about an \u201cincreasing threat of Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism in the U.K.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of the protests, \u201cfears in Jewish communities are particularly heightened, but we\u2019ve also seen increased concern more broadly, including in Muslim communities,\u201d Commander Harman said.<\/p>\n