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.
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.
Image: 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.
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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”.
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“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.
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.
A league table of foreign criminals and their offences is set to be published for the first time.
The plans, due to be announced on Tuesday, will reportedly focus on those offenders awaiting deportation from the UK.
The latest data shows there were 19,244 foreign offenders awaiting deportation at the end of 2024, a rise from 17,907 when the Conservatives left office in July and 14,640 at the end of 2022.
Despite more offenders being deported since Labour came to power, the number waiting to be removed from the UK has been growing.
Factors are understood to include the early release of inmates due to prison overcrowding, instability and diplomatic problems in some countries and a backlog of legal cases appealing deportation.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the decision to publish the nationalities of foreign criminals showed Labour had “buckled” under pressure from the Conservatives to disclose the data.
The latest government statistics show there were 10,355 foreign nationals held in custody in England and Wales at the end of 2024, representing 12% of the prison population.
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The most common nationalities after British nationals were Albanian (11%), Polish (8%), Romanian (7%), which also represented the top three nationalities who were deported from the UK in 2024, according to Home Office figures.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have ordered officials to release the details by the end of the year, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper reported Ms Cooper overruled Home Office officials, who previously claimed it was too difficult to provide quality data on foreign criminals.
A Home Office source said: “Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did.”
The source added that ministers wanted “to ensure the public is kept better informed about the number of foreign criminals awaiting deportation, where they are from and the crimes they have committed”.
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Foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation, but the home secretary can also remove criminals if their presence in the UK is not considered desirable.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the news, saying: “We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country… Frankly, the public deserved to know this [detail on foreign criminals] long ago.”
Rachel Reeves will pledge to “stand up for Britain’s national interest” as she heads to Washington DC amid hopes of a UK/US trade deal.
The chancellor will fly to the US capital for her spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the first of which began on Sunday.
During her three-day visit, Ms Reeves is set to hold meetings with G7, G20 and IMF counterparts about the changing global economy and is expected to make the case for open trade.
The chancellor will also hold her first in-person meeting with her US counterpart, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, about striking a new trade agreement, which the UK hopes will take the sting out of Mr Trump’s tariffs.
In addition to the 10% levy on all goods imported to America from the UK, Mr Trump enacted a 25% levy on car imports.
Ms Reeves will also be hoping to encourage fellow European finance ministers to increase their defence spending and discuss the best ways to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Speaking ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “The world has changed, and we are in a new era of global trade. I am in no doubt that the imposition of tariffs will have a profound impact on the global economy and the economy at home.
“This changing world is unsettling for families who are worried about the cost of living and businesses concerned about what tariffs will mean for them. But our task as a government is not to be knocked off course or to take rash action which risks undermining people’s security.
“Instead, we must rise to meet the moment and I will always act to defend British interests as part of our plan for change.
“We need a world economy that provides stability and fairness for businesses wanting to invest and trade, more trade and global partnerships between nations with shared interests, and security for working people who want to get on with their lives.”
A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.
“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”
Image: Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield
The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.