Thread by @lowles_nick

It’s Saturday 11 November, Armistice Day. At 1.45pm, a pro-Palestine demo will leave from Hyde Park and make its way to the US Embassy in Battersea. March organisers expect it to be the largest yet, claiming 500,000 are expected. The demo is avoiding Whitehall and the Cenotaph 🧵

Several hours earlier, from 9am, far right activists and football hooligans will begin gathering in central London. Some claim to be there to “defend” the Cenotaph and other monuments, while others are planning to mob up in pubs along the route of the demo

Tommy Robinson (AKA Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) has urged his supporters (or “British men” - as he has said repeatedly) to meet at the Embankment at 10am. Turning Point U.K, who have protested against previous Palestine demos, claim to be meeting in Parliament Sq.

The hooligan groups, who until last week were largely uninterested in the conflict, will be coming in from around the country. Chelsea are heading to pubs in Victoria. West Ham will initially be heading to Tottenham Court Rd. Those from east anglia will gather at Liverpool St etc

The hooligan chat rooms have been awash with threats of violence and vile racism. Most cared little about Israel/Gaza until last week, when politicians and newspapers talked up threat to the Cenotaph, despite knowing full well the pro-Palestine demo was not going along Whitehall

The extent of the racism on these hooligan chats has shocked me. There have been threats of violence and murder, vile racist memes shared and at least two people have posted up far right Terrorist videos - highly illegal!

Adding to the mix there will be a Loyalist march, leaving the Morpeth Arms, Millbank, at 3pm. Some Chelsea have said their plan is to steward/protect this march

Quite what Tommy Robinson and others meeting at Embankment at 10am plan to do for the four hours until the pro-Palestine demo starts. Guess they will stand around empty streets in Whitehall at 11am, stand in silence for a minute, and then declare that they’ve saved the Cenotaph

The police should (hopefully) kettle this group and prevent them from moving as a group towards the pro-Palestine demo.

Of more concern are the hooligans. They are likely to occupy pubs along the route in the hope of abusing protesters as they walk by. There has been chatter about blocking Vauxhall bridge, but they are unlikely to have numbers and police will surely stop them

The real flashpoints are that the far right and hooligans provoke a response from the pro-Palestine protesters and/or there are clashes away from the actual march.

With some hooligans having been drinking for 4-5 hours by the time the pro-Palestine demo passes Victoria, there’s always the risk of some idiots doing something stupid.

Let’s hope the police are firmly on top of all this and prevent the far right and hooligans, who are mobilising for a fight, from getting too close to the demo. Quite apart from the public order angle, the police have a lot riding on today politically too. Peace everyone 🕊️