Copyright standard
Commander Nick John, who is in charge of public order policing in London this weekend, said: “Our role in relation to the policing of protest is to ensure that they take place peacefully, that offences are dealt with, that they do not cause excessive disruption to the ordinary lives of local residents, visitors and businesses and to ensure that where there is a prospect of disorder we take action to prevent it. “The risk of such disorder can be elevated if groups with clearly opposing views are allowed to gather in close proximity to each other, particularly if they do so in the heart of a residential area at a time when tensions and fears in relation to hate crime and similar offences are heightened. “We intervened earlier this week to use our powers under the Public Order Act to prevent a protest taking place in Whitechapel due to the prospect of serious disorder. “This was not a ‘ban’ as it has been described in some coverage and commentary, but a requirement for the protest to move if it was to go ahead. “We have used the same power on many occasions over the past two years when policing demonstrations by various groups.” Public Order Act conditions also ban members of the Ukip march from protesting before 1pm or after 4.30pm. Mr John urged people planning to attend either protest to familiarise themselves with the conditions, warning that anyone breaching them, or encouraging others to do so, could be arrested.
