02 Aug 2024 | 08:22 PM UTC
UK: Pro-Palestine activists plan protest march in central London Aug. 3 /update 1
Pro-Palestine activists to stage protest march in central London, UK, from 12:00 Aug. 3. Heightened security, transport disruptions likely.
Activists affiliated with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) plan to hold a protest march in London on Aug. 3. The purpose of the action is to demand that the UK cease arms transfers to Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war. Protest participants will gather at Park Lane from 12:00 before marching to Parliament Street until 16:00. PSC and affiliated groups have organized bus transportation from several of the UK's major cities to facilitate attendance by persons from other parts of the country. Several thousand activists will likely participate in the march; a previous related march on July 6 drew tens of thousands of participants. Some demonstrators will likely remain in the area after the end of the march through the early evening hours of Aug. 3.
Heightened security and transport disruptions are likely along the march route. Disruptions are likely at Underground stations near the march's start point, particularly at Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner stations, and near its endpoint, possibly including at Westminster Station. Previous PSC demonstrations have remained largely peaceful; however, current elevated social tensions related to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim protests following the July 29 Southport knife attack mean that confrontations between demonstrators and opposed individuals are a significant possibility. Additionally, confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers cannot be ruled out.
Avoid affected areas as a standard precaution. Allow additional time if traveling in central London. Immediately depart the area at the first sign of any security disturbance. Strictly heed all instructions from law enforcement officers.
The July 29 Southport knife attack, in which three children were killed and several others injured, has prompted a strong and immediate response from anti-immigration activists, and nationalist activists.
Protests began in Southport on July 30, where anti-immigration activists clashed with police outside a local mosque following peaceful gatherings by residents and local politicians. On July 31, around 100 anti-immigration and nationalist activists were arrested following violent protests near Downing Street and Whitehall in London; related demonstrations also took place in Manchester, Hartlepool, and Aldershot, where several arrests and injuries occurred. Demonstrations denouncing immigration and Islam in the wake of the attack are planned through at least Aug. 5.
