Police officers across the UK are bracing for a pro-Palestine ‘Day of Action’ today with 40 marches planned across the country in the wake of a banned protest at King’s Cross last night which saw five people arrested. 

Last week more than 100,000 people showed up to march in London, and a police officer was rushed to hospital after one attendee hit them across the head with a megaphone.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in major cities again today, and the Met Police have put in place measures to prevent demonstrators gathering outside the Israeli embassy. 

The Metropolitan Police said it has imposed a condition under Section 14 of the Public Order Act to prevent demonstrators gathering near the country’s embassy in Kensington, west London.

It comes as Rishi Sunak yesterday criticised the decision to hold a rally on Armistice weekend next week. 

Five people were arrested at a banned sit-in protest in King’s Cross Station on Friday

Tens of thousands of people are expected at marches across the UK today

The Met also said it is ‘aware’ of plans for a static protest in Trafalgar Square, but is not anticipating any need for ‘significant’ road closures.

It added on social media site X, formerly Twitter: ‘We expect to see further pro-Palestinian protests in central London tomorrow.

‘Officers will be on duty to provide reassurance – and to deal with anyone who breaks the law.

‘We also have to maintain the integrity of diplomatic premises.’

The force said its policing operation today involves officers from its emergency response and neighbourhoods teams, as well as volunteer special constabulary officers and those from Kent Police. 

Last night five people were arrested during a sit-in protest in solidarity with Palestinians currently living in a war zone and facing near-constant bombardment by Israeli forces.

As many as several hundred people turned up with videos on social media showing protesters sitting on the station concourse chanting ‘ceasefire now’, ‘free, free Palestine’ and ‘in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians’.

The demonstration had been banned before it began, as Transport Secretary Mark Harper gave an order to allow police to stop the demonstration on Friday evening under Section 14a of the Public Order Act 1986.

Lukas Slothuus, 33, an academic from London who attended the sit-in, said: ‘Over 9,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and everyone should protest whenever they can at our government’s complicity with the catastrophe Israel is causing.

‘The protest was huge, with many hundreds of Londoners, and it shows the popular opinion in support of calling for a ceasefire.’

British Transport Police said its officers told protesters about the notice and advised them to leave.

Five people were later arrested for failing to comply with the notice, the force said.

As many as several hundred people turned up with videos on social media showing protesters sitting on the station concourse chanting ‘ceasefire now’, ‘free, free Palestine’ and ‘in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians’

The protest came despite the Transport Secretary’s attempt to ban it, citing disruption risk 

Pro-Palestine protesters perform a sit in at Kings Cross station on Friday evening as part of an ongoing series of demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas conflict

Protesters were seen with flags in the station before the demonstration was moved outside

Most protesters left ‘without incident’ by 7.15pm, the force added, and some then joined a demonstration outside the station.

Half an hour later officers from BTP and the Met escorted around 50 protesters away from the area to Euston.

A man was arrested near Euston station on suspicion of common assault before protesters left the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan said: ‘I am pleased that the use of the public order legislation, which applied to the operation of the railway, worked well tonight.

‘While initial arrests were necessary, the rest of the protesters then complied with the prohibition order and quickly left the station.

‘This was a good operation where partners from BTP, Network Rail and the Metropolitan Police worked together to keep London safe and moving.’

The Transport Secretary said: ‘While the right to peaceful protest is a key part of our democratic society, it cannot be at the expense of other people’s right not to be seriously disrupted or intimidated.

‘That’s why I have granted consent for the British Transport Police (BTP) to make an order under Section 14a of the Public Order Act 1986 prohibiting the planned protest at King’s Cross station this evening.

‘This means protest activity at the station is classified as unlawful and anyone taking part will be subject to arrest.

‘Officers must have the powers they need for our stations to remain safe places for people to go about their journeys, protecting public safety and preventing disorder.’

Commander Karen Findlay, who will oversee policing in London this weekend, said the pro-Palestine rallies come on top of a campaign of ‘action’ by Just Stop Oil as well as sporting fixtures and dozens of other events scheduled for Bonfire Night.

She said the force will use facial recognition technologies and social media ‘analytics’ in an attempt to bring sharper policing this weekend, after previous marches have seen isolated anti-Semitic incidents mar a wider peaceful event. 

Speaking in an online media briefing, Commander Findlay said: ‘We are going to be using a sharper focus to inform sharper interventions to make arrests in big crowds.

‘We have included faster-time analysis capability of social media and we are going to be employing retrospective facial recognition, so I want to make it clear that we will be doing everything within our power this weekend to make sure there is that fast-time, really robust response to emerging incidents that cause really grave concern to communities.’

A total of 133 people have been arrested for crimes including racially aggravated public order offences, assaulting police and criminal damage since October 7.

In addition, three women have been held for terrorism offences, two after being seen wearing images of paragliders and a third suspected of supporting Hamas online.

Of the 133 arrested, 26 people have been charged, 14 for allegations of anti-Semitism and six for allegations of Islamophobia.

The others are charged with faith hate, criminal damage and other matters.

Israeli forces have been condemned for their response to the Hamas massacre, which has included bombing residential areas

Smoke rises from the town of Beit Hanon, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip

People search through buildings that were destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday

Teams rescue a woman from under the rubble after an Israeli attack hits en-Neccar family apartment in Khan Yunis, Gaza

A Palestinian child reacts following a strike at a UN-run school sheltering displaced people

Women and children cry after a strike on a UN-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip

The protests today come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday ruled out a temporary ceasefire in Gaza until hostages are released.

More than 200 were reportedly taken after Hamas – the de facto governing authority in Gaza – swept into Southern Israel and attacked civilians and military personnel.

More than 1,400 people were killed, the majority of whom were civilians. 

Israel has responded with a devastating siege of Gaza and made repeated raids into the beleaguered territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also been condemned for attacks on civilian areas and strikes killing combatants.

Overnight, the Israeli military confirmed it targeted an ambulance outside Gaza’s largest hospital.

The IDF claimed it was being used by Hamas militants while Hamas health officials said it was transporting the wounded, and that 15 people had been killed and 60 wounded.

Israeli ‘aircraft struck an ambulance that was identified by forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell in close proximity to their position in the battle zone,’ a military statement said.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was ‘utterly shocked’ by a deadly Israeli strike on an ambulance near Gaza’s largest hospital on Friday.

Ghebreyesus said he was ‘utterly shocked by reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients close to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, leading to deaths, injuries and damage’.

‘We reiterate: patients, health workers, facilities and ambulances must be protected at all times. Always,’ the WHO chief wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said holding a similar rally on Armistice Day next weekend would be ‘provocative and disrespectful.’

Rishi Sunak said there is a ‘clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated’ amid reports that tens of thousands of demonstrators are planning to take to the streets to call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s attacks on Gaza on Saturday November 11.

There are fears the march could disrupt the two-minute silence commemorating the war dead and the daytime and evening Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, with the latter performance usually attended by royals.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Sunak said: ‘To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for.

‘The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected.

‘I have asked the Home Secretary (Suella Braverman) to support the Met Police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.’

Ms Braverman and the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, backed the Prime Minister’s assessment, with the Home Secretary branding such a demonstration a ‘hate march’.

She tweeted: ‘I agree with the Prime Minister. It is entirely unacceptable to desecrate Armistice Day with a hate march through London.

‘If it goes ahead there is an obvious risk of serious public disorder, violence and damage as well as giving offence to millions of decent British people.

‘I have full confidence in the Metropolitan Police to ensure public safety and take all factors into account as they have done in similar situations in the past.’

Mr Jenrick wrote: ‘Armistice Day is sacrosanct. These disrespectful and often hate-filled marches, routinely intimidating our fellow citizens, must not be permitted to demean our national moments of remembrance.’

Israeli military vehicles cross the security fence between Israel and the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Saturday

Locals carry out search and rescue operations after an Israeli attack hits en-Neccar family apartment in Khan Yunis

The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Khan Yunis

Security minister Tom Tugendhat has written to the Mayor of London, Westminster Council and the Metropolitan Police, ‘asking them to look very carefully at the powers that they have and to consider what options they have available’.

‘Personally, I don’t think this is an appropriate moment for a protest,’ Mr Tugendhat told the BBC.

The Met, which will be responsible for on-the-day policing of the demonstration, could ask the Home Secretary for temporary powers to ban protests from happening in certain areas of London, but only if it believes there is a risk of ‘serious public disorder’.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose role gives him influence over policing priorities in the capital, said Mr Tugendhat should stop ‘posturing’.

He said agency: ‘If this security minister knew his brief, he would know the only person in the country that can ban marches is the Home Secretary – his colleague in cabinet.’

Mr Khan said it is ‘incredibly important’ that demonstrators understand the importance of Remembrance events and the Met Police was speaking to protest organisers to ‘make sure they stay away from the Cenotaph’.

He added: ‘I’d encourage the organisers to work with the police to stay away from the Cenotaph.’

The Met has vowed to use all its powers to stop the disruption of commemorations and said officers will be deployed across the capital that weekend as part of a ‘significant policing and security operation’.

It said protest groups have not indicated plans to march on Remembrance Sunday on November 12 but a significant demonstration is expected on the Saturday.