Policing protests will cost £10m this month, Met says

Policing protests in London will cost at least £10m this month, the Metropolitan Police have revealed ahead of a weekend of action, including a major rally in support of Palestine Action.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN CRIME CORRESPONDENT

Deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan has said the force has “no choice” but to arrest protesters who defy terror laws by showing support for the banned group.

Up to 1,000 people are expected to take part in a peaceful demonstration in Parliament Square today in support of the direct-action group holding signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

It comes after more than 500 were arrested at a similar protest last month, forcing police to operate a street bail system as they handcuffed hundreds of protesters.

Mr Adelekan warned any attempt to overwhelm policing “absolutely will not work” as he said the forces have all the resources they need to carry out mass arrests if required.

“I'll just make it absolutely clear to you, and I make no reservations about this, if anyone shows support for Palestine Action - an offense under the Terrorism Act - they will get arrested,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that. We have the officer numbers, we have the custody capacity and all the resources to process as many people as is required.”