London Braces for Rival Far-Right and Pro-Palestine Protests in £4.5M Police Operation

London is preparing for one of its most challenging policing days in years as rival protests — Tommy Robinson's far-right "Unite the Kingdom" march and the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally — are expected to draw up to 80,000 people. The Metropolitan Police has launched an unprecedented £4.5 million security operation deploying 4,000 officers, armoured vehicles for the first time in 15 years, drones, helicopters, and live facial recognition technology in its first use for protest policing. The Government has barred 11 foreign far-right agitators from entering the UK, including US-based influencer Valentina Gomez, while the Crown Prosecution Service updated its guidance on hate speech to address protest-related offences. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the far-right march as "a fight for the soul of the country," and Downing Street warned that anyone breaking the law would face the full force of the law, as officers are also granted extra stop-and-search powers without suspicion of an offence.