Pro-Palestinian and Israeli protests cost Metropolitan Police £26.5m
The policing of pro-Palestinian and Israeli protests in London has cost the Metropolitan Police £26.5m so far, one of the force’s senior officers has confirmed.
Assistant commissioner Matt Twist, who is in charge of operations, said 30,000 officer shifts had been spent on the nine pro-Palestinian and three pro-Israeli demonstrations in the capital since the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October and the subsequent war in Gaza.
He told a Policy Exchange event on Wednesday that around 6,800 shifts had been carried out by officers coming into London to assist the Met and 4,600 rest days had been cancelled.
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist revealed the funding figures behind policing protests in the capital
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Mr Twist warned of a wider impact on the force’s counter-terrorism operations since the start of the conflict, saying the Met had received 2,700 public referrals to its extremism line – a 700% increase – and there were 30 ongoing investigations.
“So what the future brings is something we are all alert to,” he added. “We need to be careful around this.”
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The Met has come in for criticism over its policing of the marches, including from within government.
A number of ministers questioned if officers were being tough enough against protesters they believed were inciting hatred, while former home secretary Suella Braverman accused the force of “biased” in favour of left-wing protesters.
But Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said his officers were “constantly managing tensions” and would “robustly enforce up to the line of the law”.
He also told Sky News there was a “gap” in the law when it comes to extremism, and there was “scope to be much sharper” in legislation to tackle it amid the protests.
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Thousands join pro-Palestine marches
On Wednesday, Mr Twist said the “very, very large” protests held during weekends were an “acute challenge” for the force and its officers, alongside the “chronic challenges of dealing with daily protest, activism and demonstrations every single day”.
But he insisted the force’s response to the protests had “become sharper and more decisive as the events have progressed”, adding that the “context” of the ongoing conflict was key.
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Families of Israeli hostages rally in Westminster
The assistant commissioner also said the impact on both Jewish and Muslim communities in the city “resonates so loudly on the streets of London”, so it was important for officers to be “alert” to it.
“That is why we are making so much effort and putting in so much time into engaging with local communities,” added the assistant commissioner.
“[The Met has made] over 16,000 visits to synagogues, mosques and schools as well [built on] as strategic partnerships we have with some of the senior members of those communities right across the capital.”
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto will increasingly threaten traditional financial markets’ stability as the industry grows and becomes more entwined with traditional finance players.
“We cannot rule out that future sharp drops in crypto prices could have knock-on effects on our financial system,” ESMA’s executive director Natasha Cazenave said in an April 8 statement to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.
Cazenave noted, however, that crypto currently only accounts for 1% of global financial assets and is not yet significant enough to cause major “spillover effects” into traditional financial markets.
She warned that interconnections between crypto and traditional markets are rapidly growing — particularly in the more crypto-friendly US — and called for closer monitoring.
“Crypto-assets markets evolve quickly, in an often unpredictable manner, and we need to keep a close eye on these developments,” Cazenave said, adding:
“Turmoil, even in small markets, can originate or catalyze broader stability issues in our financial system.”
Cazenave’s concerns ranged from spot crypto exchange-traded funds and stablecoin use to hacks, scams and scandals — highlighting the recent $1.4 billion Bybit exploit and FTX’s collapse in November 2022.
Today in the ECON Committee, the role of crypto assets in relation to financial market stability was discussed. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) were present.
I raised a critical question about the digital euro.… pic.twitter.com/KST7FRBhFF
— Engin Eroglu (@EnginEroglu_FW) April 8, 2025
The European Union has already implemented several measures to safeguard against crypto risks, most notably the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation that was rolled out last year.
While Cazenave said MiCA marked a “breakthrough” for crypto regulation, she added that there is “no such thing as a safe crypto-asset” and that more rules may need to be implemented to mitigate future risks.
Related: EU could fine Elon Musk’s X $1B over illicit content, disinformation
Her comments come as both crypto and the stock markets have experienced double-digit falls over the last few weeks as the Trump administration continues to follow through on its tariff plans.
Europe lags US in crypto adoption
While crypto adoption has accelerated in the US, Cazenave noted that over 95% of European banks remain on the sidelines, with no involvement in crypto-related activities.
However, retail participation is on the rise, with an estimated 10% to 20% of European investors having crypto exposure, which is in line with growing global interest, Cazenave said.
Most reports measuring US crypto adoption suggest that the range of adoption is between 15% and 28% of the population.
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Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has been granted final court approval to settle a class-action lawsuit for $11 million with Astrals non-fungible token (NFT) buyers.
Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno granted approval of the settlement between O’Neal and the class group led by Daniel Harper in an April 1 order made available on April 8.
The deal created a fund of up to $11 million for eligible class members and awarded $2.9 million in attorney fees and costs. All those who purchased Astrals NFTs from May 2022 to Jan. 15 and those who purchased the project’s native GLXY tokens up until mid-January are eligible.
“The fee sought by lead class counsel has been reviewed and approved as fair and reasonable by plaintiffs,” Moreno’s order read.
O’Neal was hit with the lawsuit in May 2023 over his founding and promotion of the Solana-based Astrals NFT project, which the suit claimed was an “offer and sale of unregistered securities.”
The class group said they bought Astrals NFTs and “suffered investment losses” due to O’Neal’s “conduct” in promoting the project.
In August, Judge Moreno recognized that the class suit had alleged that the former NBA player was a seller of the NFTs. O’Neal agreed to the settlement in November.
Screenshot from court order on final settlement. Source: Courtlistener
NFT sales slump
The Astrals NFT collection consisted of 10,000 unique 3D digital collectibles created in April 2022 by the artist Damien Guimoneau in a Solana-based project that promoted a virtual world where users could socialize and play with others, including the basketball star.
Related: NFT sales plunge 63% in Q1, but Pudgy Penguins, Doodles buck trend
There has been no activity or sales from the collection for the past two years, according to NFT marketplace OpenSea.
Overall, NFT sales are still in deep bear market territory, with just $27 million sold as of April 7, down from more than $2 billion per week at the end of 2021, according to CryptoSlam.
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