The British capital, London, is preparing today, Saturday, for a massive march to commemorate the seventy-eighth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, coinciding with a demonstration that the far-right Tommy Robinson and his supporters intend to organize on the same day under the slogan “Unite the Kingdom.”
The march will begin at 12:00 noon British Summer Time from Exhibition Road, at the invitation of several organizations, including “Stand Up Against Racism”, “Palestine Solidarity Campaign”, “Stop the War Coalition”, “Friends of Al-Aqsa”, “Palestinian Forum in Britain”, “Muslim Association of Britain”, and “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament”.
The Metropolitan Police said it would deploy around 4,000 security personnel, backed by helicopters, drones, mounted units, armed vehicles, surveillance cameras and live facial recognition technology, in what British media described as an “unprecedented operation.”
The Guardian reported that police have been granted expanded powers, including additional search and arrest procedures, amid fears of violence or clashes between protesters, particularly given the expected participation of tens of thousands in the two demonstrations. British reports also indicated that security services fear groups of football fans might join the protests, potentially escalating tensions in central London.
Urgent message to Starmer
Prior to the march, leaders, activists, and professional figures from the Arab and Palestinian communities in Britain sent an urgent letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, demanding that equal protection be guaranteed for participants, amid fears of far-right threats.
The signatories said that Britons of Palestinian and Arab origin are living in a “high state of anxiety,” amid what they described as a feeling of unequal protection compared to the speed with which the government has responded to the concerns of other communities in the British capital.
The Nakba and the right to demonstrate
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign confirmed that the march was to commemorate the Nakba, which saw more than 750,000 Palestinians expelled from their homes, and to reaffirm the commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return for refugees, and to demand an end to what it described as the British government’s complicity in the Israeli war of extermination.
The organizers stressed that the demonstration combines solidarity with Palestine on the anniversary of the Nakba with confronting the rise of the extreme right, calling on unions and anti-racist movements to participate.
The route of the two demonstrations
According to the announced arrangements, the march will move from Exhibition Road through Cromwell Gardens, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly and St. James Street, ending at Pall Mall.
Organizers confirmed they had reached an agreement with police on security arrangements, including the presence of clearly marked security personnel, and urged participants to move in groups and avoid Euston, King's Cross, Parliament Square, and Whitehall, where Robinson's supporters were expected to pass through. They also indicated that police would take measures to separate the two demonstrations, including establishing a buffer zone in Trafalgar Square.
Demands for equal protection
The signatories of the letter called for three essential steps: ensuring equal protection for Arabs and Palestinians, developing a clear security plan for the Nakba commemoration in London, and recognizing the Nakba as a legitimate period of mourning for a part of the British fabric, not merely as a “security problem.”
Adnan Hamidan, head of the “Arabs in Britain” platform, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the letter “is not a request for special privileges,” but rather a demand that Arabs and Palestinians in Britain be treated with the same level of protection and security. For his part, Sabah Al-Mukhtar, head of the “Arab Lawyers Association,” said that protecting Arabs and Palestinians in Britain is “an inherent right that is not subject to negotiation or postponement.”
