Met Police to hand pro-Palestinian protesters leaflets to provide ‘absolute clarity’ on potential criminal offences
Pro-Palestinian protesters will be handed leaflets by police telling them what will land them in a cell, with more than 100,000 people expected to march in London on Saturday.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan assured Jewish people they will be “absolutely” safe with around 1,500 officers on duty on both days over the weekend.
Sunday will also see the first national march against antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on 7 October, with organisers expecting between 40,000 to 50,000 people to attend.
Follow live: Latest updates from Israel-Hamas war
Last weekend saw smaller pro-Palestinian demonstrations take place around the country. These included protests at railway stations in London, Manchester and Leeds, following a huge march on Armistice Day.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, with some spotted carrying allegedly antisemitic placards, while dozens of far-right counter-protesters were arrested after ugly scenes near the Cenotaph.
Police tell protesters how to avoid ending up in a cell
The Met leaflets will be handed out this Saturday along the route of the march organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign from Park Lane to Whitehall to provide “absolute clarity” on what will be deemed a criminal offence.
There will be trained spotters on the lookout for criminal activity, including “hate placards”. Officers will also be briefed on chants which may cross the line into criminality, with lawyers and Arabic speakers on hand.
The leaflet warns against using “words or images that are racist or incite hatred against any faith”, that “support Hamas or any other banned organisation” or “that celebrate or promote acts of terrorism – such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people”.
“If in any doubt bin any placard or sign that might break these rules,” it says.
The leaflet also tells those attending to check if any restrictions are in place and warns: “Don’t cause fear or be violent, including using flares or fireworks, or using threatening words or aggressive behaviours that could be considered intimidating.
“Don’t deface or damage statues, monuments or other property.”
There will be an exclusion zone around the Israeli embassy and a physical barrier around the Cenotaph, while Mr Adelekan said officers are alert to criminal behaviour relating to “the sanctity” of war memorials.
The Met faced criticism for not arresting protesters with Palestinian flags who scaled the Royal Artillery Memorial, which commemorates the nearly 50,000 soldiers from the Royal Artillery killed in the First World War, at Hyde Park corner last week.
Saturday’s pro-Palestinian protest route
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Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said while officers recognised climbing on a war memorial was not illegal, it was “unfortunate” and “inflammatory in certain ways”.
Mr Adelekan said the power of arrest lies with the officer and that anyone targeting a monument could be arrested for offences including criminal damage depending on the circumstances.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is holding a separate protest outside the Egyptian embassy on Saturday – the first demonstration by the Islamist group since the chanting of the word “jihad” at a rally last month – with between 300 and 400 people expected to attend.
Mr Adelekan said “it is a word that clearly causes upset and concern but it is always contextual”, adding: “If we think people are chanting this to incite violence, terrorism or antisemitism, we will act decisively and quickly.”
He said there is a comprehensive plan in place to protect MPs after cabinet minister Michael Gove was surrounded by pro-Palestinian protesters at Victoria station, while some Labour MPs’ offices have been targeted over their position not to support a ceasefire.
Mr Adelekan said the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which is organising Sunday’s march starting outside the Royal Courts of Justice, have said Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League seen among crowds of counter-protesters on Armistice Day, is “not welcome”.
Police understand he plans to attend as a “reporter” but the senior officer said there is no intelligence that any other far-right protesters plan to attend.
“What we cannot see and what we will not let happen is the kind of violence that happened on 11 November,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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