Jewish security officials said they are “covering all eventualities” prior to a neo-Nazi demonstration scheduled to take place in central London on Saturday.
The Metropolitan police have moved the “anti-Shomrim” demonstration away from Golders Green, north-west London, an area with a 40% Jewish population. They have now confined it to a static demonstration that will last for an hour in Whitehall.
The Shomrim is a Jewish neighbourhood watch group, which is strictly orthodox.
Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust, a charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats, said: “The demonstration has been moved, which we are very pleased about. We will still be having a security presence in Golders Green just in case anybody does turn up.
“We are not aware of any plans to do so, but we are covering all eventualities.”
Protesters are to hold a counter demonstration to the neo-Nazi event in the same street – Richmond Terrace in Whitehall.
They noted that “an appropriate policing plan is in place for these events” and they have also spoken to businesses in the West End about all the events which are planned.
The Met decided to impose conditions under the Public Order Act 1986, including moving the original demonstration, saying “the presence of this protest group, and resultant counter-protests by opposition groups in the same area at the same time, is likely to result in serious disorder, serious disruption to the life of the community and the intimidation of others”.
They stated that the police did not have the legal power to ban a static protest, have a duty to safeguard the right to protest and could not impose unreasonable restrictions upon that right.
The outrage sparked by the plans for the original neo-Nazi demonstration quickly led to a campaign dubbed Golders Green Together.
It was set up by the London Jewish Forum and advocacy group HOPE not hate, after the neo-Nazis announced their intention to hold a rally in the north-west London suburb to protest against its “jewification”.
Over recent weeks it has leafleted the area, lobbied MPs and the police and urged local shops to drape their properties with gold and green banners and ribbons as a symbol of defiance.
Rich said: “For neo-Nazis to hold an explicitly anti-Jewish demonstration in Golders Green, in the heart of the Jewish community, on a Saturday – the Sabbath, when Jewish people would be going to and from the synagogue – would obviously be intimidatory and cause offence, which is probably what it was intended to do.”