How Rival Protesters Were Kept Apart by £4. 5m Police Operation As tourists navigated central London over the weekend, they found themselves caught in the midst of an unprecedented police operation.
The deployment of over 4,000 officers and a £4. 5m budget aimed to keep rival protesters apart during a pro Palestinian march and a rally organized by far right figure Tommy Robinson.
The Metropolitan Police's decision to create a "sterile zone" between Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, and Parliament Square was likely motivated by the need to balance competing freedoms: the right to protest and the right to public safety.