Thousands of students are expected to participate in a march through central London to mark the third anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attacks on Israel
The march by a group which calls itself the University of London Coalition will take place through central London on Wednesday.
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Pro-Palestinian student protestors have been banned from wearing face masks during a planned march through central London – after defying police calls to change the date of the rally.
The march by a group which calls itself the University of London Coalition will take place through central London on Wednesday, on the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.
A social media post by organisers urged people to “take to the street and demand an end to the Palestinian genocide”.
The Met Police said it had imposed “robust conditions” on the protest, which cannot be banned.
Protestors have been ordered to gather at Lincoln’s Inn Fields by 12.30pm.
Read more: Lord Walney slams ‘deliberately provocative’ pro-Palestine march on October 7
The march by a group which calls itself the University of London Coalition will take place through central London on Wednesday.
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Alamy
They must then follow a prescribed route to Russell Square, and complete the rally by 2pm, at which point participants must disperse.
Demonstrators have been ordered not wear a face covering which conceals their identity.
The force said anyone who breaches these conditions can be arrested.
Demonstrators have been ordered not wear a face covering which conceals their identity.
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Alamy
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman, who leads Met Operations including public order policing, said the event’s date “will be a day of mourning and reflection for many in London”, and acknowledged the “serious concerns that this event has caused Jewish communities in particular”.
He added: “I would like to take this opportunity – again – to call on anyone intending to join this march to please reflect on the impact and distress it will cause on this very significant date, and exercise your right to protest on a different day.”
He said while there have been calls for the event to be banned, the risk of serious disorder is not considered high enough for that to happen on this occasion.
The Met Police said it had imposed “robust conditions” on the protest, which cannot be banned.
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“We hear the calls for this event to be banned,” he said. “The police cannot ban protests and can only ask the Home Secretary to do so if the risk of serious disorder is so high that it can’t be managed by conditions.
“That high bar is not met here.”
Mr Harman said the “stringent conditions” imposed on the march “will help us manage the event and minimise serious disruption”.
He added: “Anyone who breaches these conditions or commits offences should be under no illusion they will face arrest.
SOAS University.
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“We have zero tolerance for hate crime and those who chant or display placards calling for intifada or encourage unlawful extremism will be arrested.”
Police said they had tried to make contact with organisers but had been unable to identify anyone to take responsibility for organisation of the march.
Last week, the Met said it had attempted to contact organisers to ask them to hold the demonstration on a different day and had written to the four universities the students attend, asking them to “take all reasonable steps to ensure activity on their premises does not create an environment in which Jewish students or staff feel excluded, targeted or unsafe”.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell called on the student march organisers “to show compassion and respect for others by moving it” to another date.
Lucy Powell.
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She added that universities should take “a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic abuse, backed by robust disciplinary policies”.
Ms Powell said: “The anniversary of October 7 will bring immense pain to Jewish communities across the country, and they should be able to remember those affected by the attacks free from intimidation, harassment, or abuse – including on university campuses.”
She said while “the right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and everyone is entitled to their political views, it must be exercised lawfully” and added that all Jewish students should feel safe on campus.
SOAS University has written to students and staff echoing Ms Powell’s calls for the date of the march to be changed.
An email circulated to the university community states: “It has come to our attention that a number of students across multiple universities in the University of London Federation are planning a march on 7 October to highlight the plight of Palestinians being killed in Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring countries.
The email continues that October 7 is a “particularly significant and painful date for many Jewish people and the wider community.”
It continues: “We will not bring this needless slaughter to an end unless we are able to build bridges across religious, cultural and political divides and come to the defence of all victims.
“This requires us being sensitive to the concerns of other members of our community so that we are able to collectively build a civilian movement in defence of all victims of violent conflict.
“We urge all those engaging in protest actions on the ongoing conflicts in Israel/Gaza and the Middle East, and in Sudan, Ethiopia and other parts of Africa and the world, to be mindful of this need to build bridges across divides in the interests of all victims.”