Armistice Day: Police guard Cenotaph as London prepares for pro ...
Police are guarding the Cenotaph in London as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the capital for what is expected to be one of the largest political marches in British history on Armistice Day.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a plea for "unity" amid tensions over a pro-Palestinian march set to go ahead on the day the UK marks the end of the First World War.
An exclusion zone will be put in place using metal barriers covering Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance and other relevant areas, to prevent those on the march from entering the locations.
The Cenotaph will also have a dedicated 24-hour police presence which will remain in place until the conclusion of Remembrance events on Sunday, even though the demonstration is not intended to go near the monument.
Scotland Yard will deploy nearly 2,000 officers across central London in a major policing operation over the weekend.
The number of officers on duty in London will be double the usual amount, with 1,850 officers on Saturday and 1,375 on Sunday.
The Met said the march and all speeches must end at 5pm, and a Section 60 and 60AA power will be in place covering Westminster and parts of Wandsworth and Lambeth between 10am on Saturday and 1am on Sunday.
This provides officers with additional powers to search anyone in the area for weapons, and requires people in the area to remove face coverings that are believed to be concealing their identity.
A dispersal zone will be in place covering key central London locations including Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
The planned route for the pro-Palestinian march – expected to be the biggest since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on 7 October – goes from Hyde Park to the US embassy in Vauxhall.
The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, which will be attended by the King and Queen and other members of the royal family, will take place on Saturday.
Remembrance Sunday events will take place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall the following day.
