Safety, disorder and protesters protecting police

As police launched a final rapid advance against youthful pro-Palestinian protesters a short distance from the Israeli Embassy, the heavens opened to effectively end what had been a long day for those Met officers assigned to police the event

It had begun well enough. Estimates placed the crowd at between 100,000 and 150,000 but in any event, it was a huge turnout which set off from Speakers Corner and took the Bayswater Road route to the Israeli Embassy facilitated by traffic officers. The first significant police presence was seen at the top of the road which leads directly down to the Embassy itself, but the marchers didn’t even pause.

They went down Kensington Church Street and took a left into High Street Kensington before arriving at the junction with Palace Green; the road in which the Israeli Embassy is situated. As is to be expected, Palace Green is subject to strict security 24 hours a day and this was enhanced with additional metal barriers. In the road behind could be seen a number of police carriers.

Initially, just a few hundred arrived and met up with those already there but there was no sign of the bulk of the marchers for about fifteen minutes.

In what appeared to be a masterstroke, the Met had agreed to allow the organisers to set up a powerful PA system amongst the steel barriers thus any violence would inevitably include both the sound system and the organisers.

Safety concerns 

The eventual arrival of thousands of marchers saw the meeting commence, but there was a looming problem. Most marchers wanted to remain as close to the Embassy as possible in the relatively narrow High Street. As the density of the crowd grew to concerning proportions, I decided, for my own safety, to move.

Unbeknown to me, as the crowd grew, a female collapsed with an epileptic fit. She was helped by members of the public and then by police liaison officers all of who had difficulty fending off the growing crowd. She eventually was taken into a shop to recover.

On my way to my safer location, I bumped into a couple of officers who stated that they too had decided to withdraw for their own safety and had reported the situation to GT (the Met’s control room for public order events).

After a couple of speeches, the ‘presenter’ halted proceedings. He pointed out to the crowd the real possibility of crushing and urged those in front of the ‘stage’ to move along, which, in fairness, many did. However, they were simply replaced by others.

The speeches continued but my concern and I know, that of others, was that an incident could well produce a dangerous crushing situation. The alley just off the High Street, where I relocated to, soon became crowded with persons using it to enter the congested area while those, also concerned by the situation, utilised it to leave.

Eventually I’d had enough and left. The backstreets were filled with protesters unable or unwilling to attempt to get closer to the action. Unbeknown to me at the time, was that the young owner of a small vape/phone shop almost opposite the ‘stage’ was providing a refuge for those panicking with small children and those who felt unwell. Contact will be made with the local BCU Chief Superintendent who hopefully will extend her thanks.

Scaffold climbing and the beginning of disorder

The end of the speeches saw the dismantling of the sound system and the departure of the presenter who had exercised a degree of control over the crowd. The stewards who had been quite effective also left. Once the sound system and organisers had gone, together with the majority of peaceful protesters, the first missiles were thrown at police by some of the hundreds of youths who remained.

At around 3.30pm youths were climbing on scaffolding that surrounds the Whole Foods supermarket, waving flags and attracting a sizable audience.

As the afternoon progressed, several thousand were milling around, with a number of impromptu meetings taking place. As a march began making its way along the High Street towards the station, the volatile atmosphere ignited. Some of the marchers turned and began running back in the direction of the Embassy. It appeared they were chasing one or more persons.

A serial of fully equipped officers saw what was happening and, without waiting for instructions from GT, decided immediate intervention was required. They ran after the crowd, passed them and formed a cordon across a side road thus preventing any further pursuit, if that indeed was the reason for the crowd’s change of mood.

Almost inevitably, the by now, hostile crowd began throwing missiles at the line of officers whose restraint would have astonished their continental colleagues. The hostility didn’t extend to the entire crowd. Older protesters pushed their way to the front and linked arms in front of police. They then advanced and the crowd retreated. That incident was over but proved a forerunner of what was to come.

A surprising sight was a line of orthodox Jews who were carrying anti-Israel placards proclaiming that ‘Israel is a terrorist state.’ They were well received by curious protesters.

Climbing the bus

At around 5.30 the almost inevitable march set off with around 300 chanting placard carrying youths. Their route took them along the Earl’s Court Road past Kensington Police Station then it was Warwick Road before walking back up High Street Kensington. The march was enlivened by two protesters deciding that their cause would be progressed by climbing onto the roof of a double decker London bus.

Photo: DRN images 

The return of this group boosted the numbers at the barriers at the bottom of Palace Gate. Chanting youths had clambered on the walls of a gatehouse where windows had been broken and were even perched on the metal barriers themselves watched by police who were ‘fully kitted.’ A Starbucks on the opposite side of the road closed after it glass door was smashed.

Disorder

The bulk of the protesters had long gone but groups of youths who were clearly looking for confrontation remained. Police, fully kitted out, were in a line along the north footway. Their mere presence began attracting missiles. Officers standing in front of the entrance to Palace Gate also began to come under fire at which point, again, a line of older protesters formed to protect those officers.

At one stage carriers materialised about 200 yards east of the disorder and officers formed into squads. What had become a mob, fearing they would about to be ‘kettled’ ran towards the carriers hurling abuse; their intention being to evade both the officers and carriers. If ‘kettling’ was the plan then it was soon abandoned and the officers returned to their respective carriers. As they were boarding, I saw one officer struck on the back of the head with a missile. The sound was clearly audible and sickening. Were it not for his NATO helmet, I suspect the officer would have been seriously injured.

It was a group of officers standing on the corner of the south footway of the High Street which attracted the most attention from the mob. Not only did they have to contend to with missiles, which included rocks and lumps of concrete obtained from nearby roadworks, but the disorder also involved youths armed with placard sticks and poles running up to the officers and attempting to strike them with their adapted weapons. Fortunately, the officers were equipped with short shields and thus able to fend them off.

Those officers and their colleagues on the north footway, eventually formed a line cross the road and began a slow advance towards the protesters which again attracted more missiles. Some protesters began to sit down in the road based on the somewhat spurious grounds that as they were peacefully protesting the officers ‘couldn’t touch them.’

Carriers to the east of this disorder re-appeared and again the mob felt there was a danger of being kettled. About a hundred lost interest in the advancing police line and made their way towards the carriers. Three carriers turned around and kept just in front of the protesters for about 200 yards then suddenly turned around again which caused the youths to back off. The carriers stopped as two females sat in front of the first. An officer jumped out and unceremoniously bundled them on to the footway to yells of outrage from the mob who advanced again. The carriers sped off then the third received a direct hit with a missile on one if its windows. The carrier stopped, the door opened and, doubtless to the amusement of the officers inside, the protesters immediately scattered in panic.

Meanwhile, back towards the Embassy, the police line had advanced to Kensington Gardens and for the first time, as the heavens opened, officers advanced at speed (ran) towards the remaining protesters who scattered.

Vehicles, flags, abuse and concerns.

A walk back along the High Street saw a number of individuals with arresting officers awaiting transport. Thirteen arrests were made according to the Met and nine officers injured. Further on however, several vehicles sporting Palestinian flags could be seen being driven badly with chanting occupants inside.

This would appear to have been the catalyst for events on Sunday in Golders Green where footage emerged of occupants of vehicles with Palestinian flags shouting the most foul-mouthed, threatening anti-Semitic abuse via a loudspeaker. Four arrests have been reportedly made thus far.

The organisers of this protest stated that there would be a ‘bigger and better’ protest next Saturday which, if accurate, will present huge challenges for the Met especially if the situation surrounding Israel, the Gaza and West Bank deteriorates still further.

Whilst the Israeli Embassy is situated in a secure location, the area in front of the Palace Green gates is totally unsuitable for large-scale protests. If the crowd is as densely packed in the future, then an incident could be catastrophic.

In addition, Saturday’s violence, albeit not on a huge scale, could nevertheless attract additional numbers of those whose primary objective is some excitement and a confrontation with police.

Whatever evolves, Met officers will doubtless again behave with professionalism and restraint which will probably receive the approbation of ……….no-one.

Chris Hobbs is a former Met officer who worked in Special Branch. He has been attending many of the London protests during lockdown as an observer for Police Oracle.

Category: OpsPolicy

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