Mutual aid and another busy public order Saturday

Chris Hobbs attends the latest protest organised in the capital.

On a matchday Saturday morning, Aston Villa players and staff must have looked out of their hotel windows and wondered whether the hotel was under a state of siege. Barriers were being put in place and numerous police carriers could clearly be seen parked on the opposite side of the road.

In fact, the hotel in question is a neighbour of the Israeli Embassy and, for the first time since October, a pro-Palestinian protest was due to end with a rally in close proximity to the Embassy itself.

To the relief of officers performing duties in that part of Kensington High Street, the two Aston Villa coaches had left without incident and probably arrived at Fulham before the march had set off from Park Lane.

I decided to see the security arrangements for the rally before walking in the direction of Hyde Park Corner in order to meet the march as it progressed in the direction of the Israeli Embassy. As I left, in front of the police barriers that stretched across the road, a stage was being constructed and this effectively provided a second barrier to marchers who might be tempted to get ‘up-close and personal,’ to the Embassy.

Barriers could also be seen across the road at the beginning of the main high street – creating a potential sterile area in front of the gates that lead to the road in which the Embassy is situated.

Disorder and arrests

Having chatted to several police officers, I set off to meet the march which I guessed was on its way and came upon it as it entered Knightsbridge. In fact, as I was later to find out from officers, by looking at policing arrangements close to the Embassy first and walking up to meet the march, I missed the only significant disorder that took place. Footage was later to emerge of scuffles with police which occurred as officers arrested a male carrying a potentially illicit placard.

Officers were pushed, jostled and assaulted with the effective arrest ‘bubble,’ being used to good effect. 12 arrests were made in all and the Met subsequently announced that two individuals had been charged, five bailed and five NFA’d.

Part of the route, following that fracas, took the march past a side road which houses a synagogue. A strong police presence could be seen but the marchers paid no heed to it. Significant publicity had been given to the fact that the Met had delayed the start of the march in order that synagogues close to the route could hold their services without threat or intimidation to their congregations.

Those determined to create issues could have researched locations courtesy of Google but clearly there was no inclination to do so. Officers remained in place at that location until all the marchers had dispersed at the conclusion of the rally.

There was however one further incident captured on a mobile phone where a male, on the other side of railings which bordered Hyde Park, held up a placard which essentially asked marchers whether they supported Hamas or not. Some protesters attempted to punch him, others threw missiles; however, attempts could also be seen featuring protesters intervening and attempting to placate those intent on violence. Eventually the male was gently led away by police.

Speeches not for all

When marchers reached the end of the route, it was interesting to see that hundreds promptly left without stopping to listen to the speeches. The back streets which had to be negotiated as a result of the sterile area, were full of those clearly heading home. Others could be seen leaving via the open green spaces of Kensington Gardens.

A walk back from the stage, through the crowd listening to speeches, saw that the crowd wasn’t backed up to the level that might have been expected during earlier protests. Apparently, police estimates put the protest numbers at between 20 and 25,000. A seasoned observer of these events suggested 30,000. The largest estimate was 50,000. One of the speakers stated that the actual figure was 250,000 and I perhaps unkindly suggested that he should have gone to Specsavers.

At the conclusion of the rally, the organisers made a clearly determined attempt to ensure a quick and orderly dispersal. They even gave advice as to the best travel routes that would take participants away from the Embassy and the overwhelming majority dispersed remarkably quickly.

This left a rump of about 150 chanting and singing while predictions that they would embark on a ‘walkabout,’ proved correct. They walked back along Kensington Road but were interrupted by a loose police cordon. Officers directed the group onto the pavement but once past the cordon most returned to the road.

I’ve often wondered why the Met didn’t make more frequent use of  handheld megaphones when conveying information or instructions, but on this occasion a police inspector was perfectly clear with his amplified instructions, namely disperse or risk arrest.

In the distance three TSG carriers could be observed and as the warnings were given, blue flashing lights could suddenly be seen. It was clear by the comments of those around me that that they knew ‘blue vans equalled the TSG.’ Some returned to the pavement and then, in the twinkling of an eye a serial of TSG officers plus another from a visiting force formed up parallel with the crowd, most of whom were now returning to that pavement.

The inspector with the megaphone made it clear that the dissolving crowd had to disperse or risk arrest. The serials stayed with the diminishing group who had now spread out along the footway until they reached the vicinity of Knightsbridge station. At this point, the officers returned to their carriers and the day’s events were over.

I confess that had I been scribing the threat assessment I would have thought that, given this was a worldwide day of protest plus the events in Gaza concerning Rafah and the footage of Israeli troops conducting operations in a severely damaged hospital, the number of protesters would have been far greater.

Clearly this view was shared by the Met hence the aid serials from 29 other forces. It should also be noted that last Saturday, five league matches were being played in London; Sheffield Wednesday alone brought almost 3,000 supporters to Millwall.

Another fact noted, not just by me, but by officers who frequently police these protests, is that the thuggish elements have materialised in greatly reduced numbers as compared to the start of the crisis. It was also noted that the violence towards police officers was far greater in 2021 during another Israel/Palestine conflict. As YouTube footage shows, fully ‘kitted’ officers with short shields were pelted with missiles by what could only be described as a violent mob.

The next national protest is scheduled for March 7 which is three days before the deadline set by Israel for the return of the hostages. Failure to return the hostages will result in an incursion into Rafah by the IDF which will undoubtedly result in further protest.

In any event, the Met and all officers involved in Saturday’s protest can feel content with a ‘job well done,’ in terms of proportionate policing despite the inevitable comments that the policing was ‘too soft,’ or, conversely, comparable to the heavy-handed Russian police who were featuring prominently on our TV screens following the death of Alexei Navalny.

It will be forever thus.

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

Category: Public Order