Pro-Palestine rally in central London hit with strict new conditions after fear of impact on synagogue
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A planned pro-Palestine march in central London has been hit with new conditions amid fears of the impact it would have on a nearby synagogue. The protesters had planned to march near the BBC’s Broadcasting House in Portland Place to Whitehall, but were hit with conditions on the march due to the nearby Central Synagogue.
But on Wednesday, Met officers ordered the protest follow an entirely new route under the new Public Order Act. Under the new conditions, the PSC demonstration is required to begin at Russell Square, instead of Portland Place, and must stick to a route from Russell Square, via Kingsway, Aldwych and the Strand, ending in Whitehall.
Protesters are required to disperse by 4.30pm. Met Commander Adam Slonecki, who is leading the policing operation this weekend, said: “We have approached these discussions in good faith, meeting regularly with the PSC and with partners and community representatives.
“Our role is not to take sides. We police without fear or favour and we have taken the decisions we have motivated only by the need to ensure groups can exercise their right to peaceful protest, while also ensuring the wider community can go about their lives without serious disruption.
“I know some reporting has suggested that this is a ban on protests outside the BBC in general. This is absolutely not the case. “We recognise why the PSC want to protest at the BBC and we’ve offered to work with them in considering alternative days of the week to do so, where we could be confident that they wouldn’t cause serious disruption to the lives of those attending the synagogue.
