The London Metropolitan Police confirmed that a pro-Palestine protest of as many as half a million people will take place on Saturday in London to coincide with Armistice Day, but will be met with a large group of anti-protesters. 

As a result, the mobilization of 1,850 police officers with about 780 officers from outside London has occurred as Laurence Taylor, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, warned that they received intel that a "large numbers of counter-protesters will be coming to London with a view to confronting those taking place in the main march".

"I do believe if the groups come together, there will be serious disorder," he said, adding, "We know that there is likely to be some groups from both sides … who will likely seek each other out later on in the day."

Taylor noted that the officers will use "an extensive set of powers to prevent any disruption whatsoever", in what is said to be a more difficult policing operation than ever before conducted on a remembrance weekend.

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"The objective of policing is to use the least intrusive force possible to achieve an end. There will be times this weekend where you see pockets of confrontation, despite the conditions and everything I’ve put in place to manage that", he continued, adding that we will witness "police intervention, and I hope we don’t but I think it’s likely you will see police having to use force to manage some of the situations that we have to deal with, and at times that might look messy."

"... it does mean that we are taking robust, rapid and agile action to deal with what we are dealing with."

'One of the largest in UK history'

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The counter-protestors would be allowed to be at the Cenotaph where the pro-Palestine marchers are banned as a result of the former’s "sole purpose and their intention is to protect the sanctity of the Cenotaph and Remembrance. So I don’t anticipate there will be any disorder from that group."

Director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Ben Jamal, who is also the lead organizer of the march, relayed his understanding that people would be coming from all over the UK to march on Saturday towards the US embassy in Nine Elms.

Appearances and speeches are expected to be made by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, actors Juliet Stevenson and Maxine Peake, and the head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, Husam Zomlot, alongside many others.

"We think it is going to be huge," Jamal said, as the PSC stated, "More than 500,000 people are expected to converge in London, making it one of the largest political marches in British history."

The Met stated that protesters are not allowed to close the US embassy, nor the Israeli embassy in Kensington. Anyone who does not disperse from key central London locations such as Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus could be arrested. 

Marchers will also not be allowed near Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade and the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance.

'Absolutely ruthless'

Chris Nineham of Stop the War organized a similar protest back on February 15, 2003 for an anti-war protest against the invasion of Iraq during which an estimated 1.5 million people marched on the streets of London. 

Nineham said, "This will be far and away the biggest of these series of demonstrations. I know it’s going to be a lot bigger than that. Just one coach agency in the north of England has booked 250 coaches for the demo. That’s just one agency."

This comes as the British Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has accused London's Metropolitan Police of "playing favorites" for not cracking down on pro-Palestine protests, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is increasing pressure on police to ban Saturday's protest. 

Sunak added that he would hold Metropolitan Police commissioner Mark Rowley "accountable" for approving this Saturday's protest in solidarity with Palestine.

Rowley, declared that his forces will be "absolutely ruthless" during pro-Palestine protests, but said prosecutions would only happen when the law is broken.