Planned Demonstration in London, Saturday, Oct. 5

There is also a major pro Palestine march in Edinburgh on 5 October which will disrupt the City Centre.
It will be a silent funeral March following an empty coffin, with funereal music. The organisers have asked for the total silence by participants and bystanders to be maintained for the 2 hours or so of the March. The route is essentially St Andrews Square, Princes Street and a square around Waverley Station.

I purposely had not posted, for fear of political beliefs derailing such intent.

Normal pro Palestine marches will also be held in Edinburgh on October 12, 19 and 26.

Related Protests

• Amsterdam, Netherlands: Protest at Dam Square from 14:00 Oct. 5.
• Athens, Greece: Protest march from Parko Eleftherias to the Israeli Embassy on Marathonodronom from 14:00 Oct. 5.
• Berlin, Germany: March from Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz 14:00-17:00 Oct. 6.
• Istanbul, Turkiye: March from Taksim Square to Dolmabahce Palace from 16:00 Oct. 5.
• London, UK: March from Russell Square to Whitehall near Downing Street from 12:00 Oct. 5.
• Madrid, Spain: March from Madrid Atocha Station to Puerta del Sol from 18:00 Oct. 5.
• Paris, France: Protest at Place de la Republique from 14:00 Oct. 5.
• Rome, Italy: Protest at Pyramid of Cestius from 14:00 Oct. 5.
• Warsaw, Poland: Protest at Castle Square from 13:00 Oct. 5.

Not related

• Hungary: Authorities plan WWII bomb disposal operation in Budapest, Oct. 5

I think the State Department is underestimating attendance somewhat. I'd expect it to be closer to 200,000 than 20,000 that turn out.

It looks like the State Department were correct in their estimation. Tens of thousands of demonstrators rather than hundreds of thousands.

I saw that, yes. I thought there would be a lot more. I can't say anything as I was in my garden pruning back some overgrown stuff before the weather sets in.

The State Department seems to be strangely silent on a demonstration which is going ahead this Saturday, 26th, which has far more potential for disturbance in central London.

Far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has organised a protest march building on the sentiments which triggered widespread violent disorder across the country in August.

Supporters of Robinson are due to gather at Victoria Station on Saturday at 11am and intend to march to Parliament Square.

Stand Up To Racism are the umbrella organisation coordinating the counter protest. Their meeting point is Piccadilly, (Regent Street / St James') at 11:30am.

The Metropolitan Police, no doubt with support from their colleagues in The City of London Police and British Transport Police, will be mounting a major operation in an attempt to maintain order. In my opinion, it's the biggest potential flashpoint for trouble in London this year.

In terms of how it will affect visitors, expect many central London bus routes to be on diversion or have severely disrupted service. It's not the best day to have a visit to The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards Parade or The Churchill War Rooms on your itinerary in the afternoon. It may be best to consider doing something else outside of central London tomorrow. Don't be overly worried about your personal safety unless you're intending to take part with a confrontational stance in mind.

Rival activist groups plan to protest in central London on Oct. 26. Nationalist campaign groups plan to meet at Victoria Station from 11:00 and then plan to march to Parliament Square at 13:00. It is likely that several hundred to low thousands may take part.

Civil society groups led by Stand Up To Racism plan a counter-demonstration from 11:30 in Piccadilly. Labor unions, climate campaigners, and migrant rights charities will take part; it is possible that several thousand to low tens of thousands will attend the rally.

Authorities will almost certainly deploy increased security to monitor the rallies. Road travel and transport disruptions will likely occur in central London, in particular in the Victoria, Whitehall, and Piccadilly districts. Clashes between police and protesters, as well as between rival demonstrators, are possible. Related demonstrations may take place in other urban centers across the country on the day.

So now you've got a heads up in stereo in seems :)

According to TfL another counter demonstration is due to start from the Science Museum on Exhibition Road- that will also affect visitors to the V and A museum, Kensington, Knightsbridge and the south side of Hyde Park.

The US State Department sent this email a few hours ago:

Security Alert - Worldwide

Caution, October 24, 2024
Location: Worldwide
Event: Social media posts on various platforms are calling for demonstrations at U.S. and Israeli facilities on Friday, October 25, 2024. The U.S. government reminds U.S. citizens to:
Avoid rallies and demonstrations whenever possible and exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings as even peaceful demonstrations have the potential to turn violent without warning.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.

This is about possible rallies today, not tomorrow.

Nothing on the Embassy's website about tomorrow (Saturday.)

The US Step Program just sent this email:

Location: London, United Kingdom

Media and the Metropolitan Police report planned demonstrations are expected in London on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

U.S. citizens are encouraged to avoid areas of demonstrations and always exercise caution within the vicinity of demonstrations or if caught in a demonstration. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate to violence. Do not attempt to drive or walk through a demonstration. Road closures and transportation services may be impacted - U.S. citizens are encouraged to monitor local transportation information (such as Transport for London) and coordinate travel routes accordingly.

Planned demonstrations include, but are not limited to:

LONDON

Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024

Time: 1200 to 1700 Local Time

Demonstration: Uniting The Kingdom, Stop the Tyranny

Route: Starting from Victoria Embankment and ending at Parliament

Estimated Number of Participants: 20,000+

Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024

Time: 1130 to 1600 Local Time

Demonstration: Stand Up to Racism

Route: Piccadilly Circus, Coventry St, Haymarket, Cockspur, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall

Estimated Number of Participants: 15,000 - 20,000+

Demonstrations in London are frequent and may occur throughout the year. They can often attract large crowds at popular tourist destinations, such as Parliament Square, Westminster, and associated bridges.

The U.S. Embassy encourages U.S. citizens to monitor local news and follow the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, and City of London Police on social media platforms to stay up to date with current security issues across London and be apprised of appropriate guidance. U.S. citizens should also follow their local borough’s police social media platforms.

For the counter demonstration there are chartered buses coming to London from at least 50 different locations around the UK-including Scotland and Wales, as well as people making their own way there.

The State Department are very late in their warnings, as a quick google search shows that this has been planned by both groups for at least the last 2 weeks.

I did repeat the obvious. But I had meant to put the source. The source is pretty good for these sorts of things: https://crisis24.garda.com/insights-intelligence/intelligence/risk-alerts

Route: Starting from Victoria Embankment and ending at Parliament

Victoria Station and Victoria Embankment are two totally different places. It would be a pretty short march from Victoria Embankment to Parliament Square. They seem to have the timing wrong too. I wonder where they got their intel from?

I believe fine patriotic " Tommy" is bothering the legal services again and is being held in custody related to him fleeing a previous hearing.
Hope it pours down all day

yes, he was picked up today, kept, and will be in court on Monday, on outstanding charges

only mentioned because his presence at demos can be "difficult".

rain forecast mid morning to mid afternoon, then again after 4

I have seen." Tommy" and his rabble in Sheffield.
They came to " Protect the Cenotaph "
I am sure the ones throwing Sieg Heils ,must have missed out on there history lessons.

It's interesting who crosses the political line most often.

maybe it is easier to be detached from 1700 km away than if one is living with it. A good friend of mine who is disabled had her UK citizen essential carer attacked by the mob and was struggling on her own for over a week

Sorry Nigel, I wasnt pointing at an individual.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-march-live-protests-london-far-right-met-police-b2636026.html

This is the BBC News article on today's events in London.

Both marches (and a 3rd unrelated march by the United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC) to Downing Street, to protest over deaths in custody) occurred with just a handful of arrests. Boisterous but essentially peaceful.

The police did their job admirably in keeping the three demonstrations separated from each other

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62llg60p42o

I watched some clips from livestreams etc on Youtube and I saw quite a few visitors wheeling their suitcases around the marches / gatherings and police lines. It seemed fairly peaceful. There was quite a bit of extreme politics on view, but there was no trouble to speak of that I saw. London is really quite safe for the visitor, even with these things going on (touch wood). It's just you need to be aware that these things do indeed go on quite frequently in central London, particularly on a Saturday, and they may get in the way of your plans.