Eyewitness: more resource draining, public order challenges for the Met

Chris Hobbs attends the second weekend of Palestine Action protest controversy and other demonstrations sapping Met morale.

For the neutral observer, in London to view a Saturday of controversial protest, the first port of call at Marble Arch would give no clue as to the drama and controversy ahead. Assembling at this iconic location were Animal Welfare protesters who, after several speeches, would march along a route which would take them around central London before finishing at Hyde Park Corner.

This was a gathering of quintessentially nice people who are fervent in their beliefs. The days of masked, violent ALF (Animal Liberation Front) activists appear to be in abeyance. These protesters were clearly passionate concerning their causes but the fact that no police were present perhaps suggests that the public order planners were quite relaxed as to the outcome of this event.

After briefly observing proceedings here, it was a quick journey to Holborn, where I encountered a handcuffed, masked, hooded male who I thought was participating in a pro-Palestine stunt; however, it turned out that this was a groom ‘enjoying’ his stag celebration.

The familiar and frequent PSC march

 

The familiar and frequent Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march was to follow a familiar route from Russell Square which would take it past Waterloo Bridge where pro-Israeli counter-protesters were assembling. Their numbers were down as compared to previous protests possibly due to the Campaign against Antisemitism march and rally that was due to take place the following day.

One factor that was noticeable to the seasoned protest observer’s eye was the presence of officers from various other forces including Wiltshire, Dorset, Thames Valley and West Mercia. The march, when it reached the counter-protest, saw the usual exchange of insults. The PSC stewards again generally did a good job in keeping the march moving as indeed did visiting officers. There were several scuffles and arrests and indeed there were groups within the march that were boisterous with a number noticeably masked. This drew comment from the above-mentioned seasoned observers that these groups could be problematic when they reached their destination in Whitehall.

The PSC stage would be within easy walking distance of Parliament Square where another ‘arrest me’ pro-Palestine Action protest was also taking place; organisers had promised that 1,000 individuals were ready to defy the proscribing of Palestine Action and offer themselves up for arrest.

Another feature of the march was a block of protesters which contained an inordinate number of infants and young children. This is a factor that the Met’s public order planners would have to take into account should the stage be reached where these marches are banned; events later in the day would suggest that the ‘doomsday clock’ for a ban on these protests has moved closer.

The march took one hour and forty minutes to pass and was later estimated by the Met to number around 20,000. It would seem that the commencing Israeli onslaught on Gaza had a galvanising effect.

Despite several arrests and some push and shove that in one case resulted in a female protester falling and requiring the assistance of police medics, there were no serious incidents.

The ‘arrest me’ protest in support of Palestine Action

I then moved on to Parliament Square, where arrests had been apparently ongoing for a while. On arrival, I noticed a distinct change in atmosphere from both the march and the previous ‘arrest me’ Palestine Action linked protest. Ominously, as anticipated, large numbers from the PSC rally were now making their way down Whitehall towards Parliament Square.

Almost immediately, I was drawn to the spectacle of police finding themselves in difficulty due to a hostile crowd when arresting and attempting to extract a Palestine Action protester. Officers were trying to remove their suspect towards a barriered police cordon in St. Margarets Road beyond which was prisoner transport but getting that individual there was proving problematic.

Officers used the ‘bubble’ tactic whereby they surround the arresting officers and the person arrested and then forcibly move as a unit through any hostile crowd. Other officers nearby, saw their colleagues in trouble and rushed to assist and eventually they made it through the barriers. However, once those arresting officers had made it through the barriers, their colleagues returning to Parliament Square had to run the gauntlet of abuse.

Officers assaulted

Crowds, realising that this barriered area was the primary extraction point, grew in number while I was surprised at the relative lack of police numbers in Parliament Square itself. Arrests continued through hostile crowds and I, together with other seasoned observers/photo-journalists, saw officers punched and kicked.

Whilst the post arrest extraction bubble is a tried and tested tactic, it does mean that officers can’t react to sly punches and kicks. In order to arrest the assailant two or three officers would have to leave the bubble which would place colleagues and perhaps the original arrestee, at risk.

One officer said to me in passing that ‘there’s not enough of us,’ and he appeared to be correct. In one incident, a male in a brown shirt had completely lost control as, foul mouthed, he pushed through the crowd to presumably attack officers. He reckoned without his, I presume, girlfriend, who determinedly wrestled him away from the scene.

Gradually however, the ‘cavalry’ arrived in the form of the TSG and the ‘aid’ officers from the other forces. Three primary ‘avenues of extraction’ were established which tended to split hostile elements in the crowd. Those extracting using the bubble method were supported by colleagues and those responsible for assaulting officers found themselves being wrestled to the ground and then marched off.

It’s worthy of note that amidst the chaos of the Palestine Action protest, officers were also, at the top end of Parliament Square dealing with pro and anti-abortion activists following a large pro-life convention at a nearby hall.

Police in control

As the evening wore on, the violence subsided and a number of protesters were carried off by police with no accompanying support from activists. As darkness fell, the crowd became more animated but by this time the police were in total control of proceedings.

There were two incidents during the course of the afternoon in Parliament Square involving pro-Israeli ‘Inserts.’ The first individual, who had not been seen before, was involved in an angry exchange of views and was escorted away by police followed by a hostile crowd chanting ‘Nazi scum off our streets.’ The second incident involved one of the two very familiar ‘Insert’ faces who was arrested and handcuffed. As referred to below, his actions were to be praised during Sunday’s antisemitism rally.

One aspect of the police operation that was predictably criticised from the left but also the right, involved the arrest of the elderly and infirm. These arrests were carried out with care, consideration and respect and was clearly a duty that officers would have preferred not to have been involved in. Yet suggestions that officers should have simply left these protesters alone would surely have been bitterly resented by those very protesters.

In total almost 900 protesters were arrested which included 17 for assaulting officers. Many assaults on officers took place without, at this stage, any consequences although no serious injuries have been reported. It remains to be seen whether, given the current strain on the Met, there will be any post incident investigation to identify other culprits who assaulted officers during the course of this protest.

Antisemitism march and rally

A number of officers who worked for more than 20 hours during Saturday, were back on duty the next day, for the march organised by the Campaign against Antisemitism. There had been some criticism of the Met for not allowing the march to begin outside the BBC but the meeting point was literally only a two- minute walk away. As ever a significant number of officers were in attendance as well as the very obvious presence of Community Safety Trust security personnel.

The turnout, on the first day on the London Underground strike, was sizeable to say the least with a plethora of Union flags interspersed with those of Israel. The march did stop outside the BBC where the view that the corporation was biased towards the Palestinian cause was clearly expressed. As a matter of interest, some weeks ago I attended a pro-Palestine protest outside the BBC where the assembled crowd claimed that the corporation was pro-Israeli.

There was a brief flurry of activity early on where it appears that a female shouted ‘free, free Palestine.’ She was quickly and protectively surrounded by those from the CST before being escorted away by police.

The march was uneventful with the primary chant being, ‘Say it loud, say it clear Jew hate is not welcome here.’ On arrival at Trafalgar Square, they were surprisingly greeted by a colourful group of Brazilian pro- Bolsonaro protesters who made their support of Israel clear as both sides greeted each other enthusiastically.

The march moved on to their stage located in Parliament Square and such were the numbers that crowds spilled out of the square itself on to surrounding roads. There was another minor commotion as a pro-Palestine supporter was escorted away by police; there was however no sign of any organised opposition during the course of the afternoon.

The Met were included by the compare in the list of those who had helped to make the event possible and were rewarded with a large cheer. However, as I was leaving, another speaker castigated the Met for their treatment of two well- known pro-Israeli ‘Inserts’ who frequently deposit themselves in the midst of pro-Palestine demonstrations attempting to provoke a reaction. It was one of those ‘Inserts’ who was arrested during the previous day.

A further major challenge awaits

Having successfully negotiated a challenging weekend of protest, another difficult day looms this Saturday. A Tommy Robinson rally is, given recent events, likely to attract large crowds. Whilst memories of serious disorder following the 11th November Remembrance Day ceremony in 2023, will linger, his last three major protest events have been well stewarded and well ordered.

However, the migrant hotel/ boats protests have raised the temperature and also galvanised anti-racist groups including ANTIFA who appeared to have become almost extinct in recent times. Police efforts will doubtless be designed to keep rival groups apart. Becoming an unwelcome ‘Insert’ into a rival protest on this day could have very serious consequences.

In addition to the above rally and counter-protest, police resources will also have to be deployed to policing high-risk West Ham v Spurs and Millwall versus Charlton fixtures together with other league games in London.

Thus, another challenging day awaits which will deplete the coffers of the Met still further. However the day goes, these factors are certain in terms of the Met’s policing operation; there will be inevitable criticism and very little praise.

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

Category: OpsPublic Order