An almost trouble-free day of protest

Chris Hobbs joins a 'save the bees' protest among others where the, mostly, peaceful atmosphere was a welcome change for the public order officers on duty.

Main picture credit: Crime Scene Images

After months of contentious public order protests in London, the Met’s Gold and Silver commanders will doubtless have regarded the threat assessment for last Saturday’s Earth Day/Save our planet protest with a sense of cautious optimism.

That assessment would almost certainly included the fact that Extinction Rebellion; the largest of a number of participating organisations, have forsaken the direct action of several years ago which caused chaos in London and elsewhere and posed a direct challenge to the capacity of the Met’s custody suites.

There would have been concern as to whether Just Stop Oil and other fringe groups might cause some disruption but seasoned protest observers felt that this would be unlikely as disorder would incur the wrath of sections of the media and other law- abiding protest groups.

Youth Demand

The day, however, wasn’t going to be a total ‘walk in the park’ for Met commanders and their officers on the ground. Apparently, after deciding to ignore the plight of the planet, pro-Palestinian ‘Youth Demand,’ protesters opted to hold a separate meeting followed by ‘actions,’ in Central London.

They met in Victoria Embankment Gardens and numbered only around 100. After two speeches familiar in tone plus some chanting, they split into small groups for briefings. They then, in order to make life difficult for those police present, left in their small groups by different exits. Met officers scurried after them with some having to run in order to keep up. Each group seemed to be carrying a poster which, doubtless was to be attached to business premises with links to Israel.

We observers, briefly attempted to keep up but opted to fly the white flag of surrender and decided to meet up with the main event. Walking down to Trafalgar Square, it was clear that the march had made good time and participants were pouring down Whitehall to their meeting place in Parliament Square.

A variety of causes

The variety of causes including birds, bees, animals, rivers, seas, and woodlands to name but a few, were clearly visible thanks to a plethora of placards, banners and costumes. Also represented were such august bodies as the National Trust and the World Wildlife Fund.

The numbers were vast with many hundreds of participating children plus the inevitable ‘drumming bands.’ Police were few and far between except those keeping an eye on the small ‘Just Stop Oil,’ contingent. Their presence seemed to consist of older activists; given the ‘crossover,’ with ‘Youth Demand,’ it may have been that the younger element opted for issues relating to Gaza.

Parliament Square was busy but not packed to the extent that moving around was problematic. Hundreds opted to remain in Whitehall and watch the speeches from the stage on a giant screen. The whole event was extremely well organised with no tensions whatsoever visible which was in stark contrast to many protests over the past ten months.

I went to pay my respects to the Keith Palmer memorial and found it obscured by a couple of placards. I politely asked the gentleman whose placards they appeared to be, whether he’d be kind enough to move them. He was mortified when he realised the tragedy that lay behind the memorial and, after I had taken the photo, we had a pleasant conversation before parting on good terms. That encounter probably summed up the atmosphere on the day.

Oxford Circus arrests

My time with that protest came to an end when I received a phone call stating that pro-Palestinian protesters, namely ‘Youth Demand,’ were obstructing traffic in Oxford Circus and police were moving in. By the time I’d negotiated the packed underground system, police had made arrests and the protesters had adjourned to nearby Cavendish Square,

Apart from a couple of chants, the day was effectively over. The numbers attending the environmental protest were given as between 50 -60,000 who behaved impeccably. Whilst those participating in the national pro-Palestinian marches and counter-protests since the 7th of October have not engaged in any serious physical disorder apart from that seen on the 11th of November, there have been tensions and an abundance of insults thrown both ways across the police lines.

This, despite the seriousness of the situation(s) espoused by the various causes, was a more relaxed event that still conveyed a powerful message.

More marches and protests will take place across the summer and of course, fast approaching is the Notting Hill Carnival which always has the potential for headline catching incidents. My own memory from last year is being caught up in a potential crushing incident; that’s an experience I don’t intend to repeat.

Chris Hobbs is a former Special Branch officer who follows public order events as an observer for Police Oracle.

Category: OpsPublic Order