Police arrest 43 in central London to prevent clashes during rival protests

Forty-three people were arrested on Saturday during a large public order operation in central London involving more than 4,000 officers, the Metropolitan Police said.

The operation was designed to create a "sterile zone" between two opposing demonstrations: a rally organized by Islamophobic activist Tommy Robinson and a pro-Palestinian protest.

According to the police, 20 of those arrested were linked to the "Unite the Kingdom" protest, 12 to the "Nakba" protest, and 11 were either unrelated to either group or could not be identified.

The police said 11 of the arrests related to hate crime offenses. Of those, two are linked to the Nakba protest and nine to Unite the Kingdom. The offenses, they said, included alleged motivation by race, religion, sexuality, and disability.

A further seven hate crime-related offenses remain under investigation, with outstanding suspects. The Metropolitan Police said these cases are all linked to the Nakba protest.

Three of the arrests were made using live facial recognition technology. The individuals were wanted for failing to appear in court, and the force said none were connected to either protest.