“For many in our city, this will be a day of mourning, a day of reflection, and we are aware of a number of vigil events being planned.
“Serious concerns have been expressed about the impact of this march on students and staff, particularly those who are Jewish, the route, and the day it is being held.
“We, the Met, have attempted to find and contact the student organisers to ask them to very carefully consider the impact their event will have, and to ask them to hold this event on a different day.”
Harman said police had been unable to find the organisers and, for that reason, he was putting out a public statement to ask them to get in touch and plan the march on a different date.
He added: “I am also saying today to anyone who is intending to join the march – please reflect on the impact and distress it will cause on this very significant day, and exercise your right to protest on a different date.
“Now if the protest does go ahead we will have no choice but to police it – and our policing plan will take account of the impact on the community that holding that protest on that specific date will have.”
The police have said the planned protest did not meet the threshold required to ask the home secretary to put a ban in place.
They have, however, put conditions in place including timings, routes and face coverings.
Anyone participating in the march must not deviate from the route shown on the map below, which is: Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Remnant Street, Kingsway, Southampton Row, Russell Square. They must begin this route at 12:30hrs (Image: Metropolitan Police)[Missing Credit]
Any person participating in the post-march assembly and rally must remain in the area shaded on the map below (Russell Square). The assembly must conclude by 14:00hrs (Image: Metropolitan Police)[Missing Credit]
The police have said that the protesters need to leave by 2PM, despite confirming their plan is to stay till 4PM[Missing Credit]
With regard to face coverings, the police wrote: “No one taking part in the form-up assembly, procession or rally may wear a face covering that conceals their identity.”
Two days after Harman released the statement, the “University of London Coalition” posted to Instagram advice on how protesters could avoid being arrested.
The group wrote: “The British state and police have continued to repress our ability to protest since we first took to the streets to fight for Palestinian liberation and against the most recent iteration of the ongoing Palestinian genocide.
“It is critical that our knowledge of our protest rights are up to date so that we can resist repression wherever it may come and so that we can continue to fight until Palestine and all those living under the claws of empire are free!”
Education Secretary Lucy Powell echoed Harman’s statement, saying those mourning the victims of October 7 should be “free from intimidation, harassment, or abuse.
“All Jewish students should feel safe on campus. While the right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and everyone is entitled to their political views, it must be exercised lawfully,” she said.
“I urge anyone planning to protest on campus to show compassion and respect for others by moving it from the anniversary of this tragic day.”
Calls stop the protest also came from political grandees Sir Michael Gove and Lord Blunkett.
Baroness Deech, the former principal of St Anne’s College, Oxford, said: “The significance of October 7 should not be obscured by the war that followed.”
According to Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry, citing data J-SOC (National Centre for Combating Antisemitism), a total of 262 pro-Palestine protests are due to be held in the coming week across 37 countries, including 19 in the UK. Seventy five of the 262 are set to be held on October 7.
The student march will take place at midday, five hours ahead of an October 7 vigil at Victoria Embankment.
The event, organised by the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), will feature prayers, music, personal reflections and the reading of the names of British victims. There will also be a moment of silence and remembrance talks.
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said of the event: “Three years on, the awful events of October 7 stand as one of the most tragic days for our Jews around the world. The Hamas terrorist massacre inflicted profound suffering and enduring trauma.
“We will gather in central London to honour the victims with dignity and resolve. This vigil reaffirms our commitment to remember those who were murdered, to support those still rebuilding their lives, and to stand firmly against hatred and terror in all its forms. It will also be a timely reminder to our political leaders not to forget the horror inflicted on the Israeli people on that day, nor the cynical approach adopted by Hamas to this day.
“Please join us as we say, loudly and clearly ‘Am Yisrael Chai!’”
JLC Chair Keith Black said: “Three years on from the horrors of October 7, Jewish communities around the world continue to grieve for the 1,200 innocent men, women and children murdered that day, and for the 85 victims murdered in captivity.
“We invite our community and our allies to join us for a public commemoration to remember those whose lives were so brutally taken, to honour their memory, and to stand together in solidarity with Israel.”
