Fears grow ahead of mass pro-Palestine protests today as police say they are 'powerless' to arrest demonstrators climbing on memorials unless they start physically damaging monuments because 'no explicit law' exists

Police have said they are 'powerless' to arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators climbing on memorials unless they start physically damaging monuments - because 'no explicit law' exists.

Protests are set to sweep the country today as part of a national day of action by thousands of people protesting against Israel's war in Gaza, with 150 rallies set to be staged across the country.

Concerns that demonstrators will climb on monuments have been fuelled by scenes in London this week, when protesters clambered over the Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park and raised a Palestinian flag.

Footage of the incident sparked anger at the police response - with officers simply standing by and watching as one of them politely asked a man to come down, making no moves to arrest him. 

Now Met Commander Karen Findlay, who is overseeing the force's 'significant' operation in the capital, admitted officers could face 'challenging' situations where they are unable to arrest people who climb on monuments.

She said: 'At a minimum [officers] are to intervene decisively when they see behaviour which is obviously disrespectful, using their skills in dealing with the public as they do every day. 

'They will be looking to take positive action, including arrests, as soon as disrespectful behaviour becomes disorderly behaviour of the sort covered by a number of public order offences. 

'They will also intervene where necessary to prevent a breach of the peace.

'Protesters intent on climbing over memorials and other monuments should also keep in mind that they weren't designed for this purpose, making them prone to damage which will likely constitute a criminal offence.

'There is clear legislation in place to deal with damage of any sort, even if it is minimal or was caused recklessly and not intentionally.'

Rather than a huge march in London, as has been seen in recent weeks with thousands of protesters converging on the capital, dozens of events are due to take place in different parts of the UK on Saturday.

It has sparked a huge response from police forces, with the Metropolitan Police saying it will stage a 'significant' operation and will not tolerate hate crimes, including offensive chanting and placards targeting the Jewish community.

Meanwhile, the British Transport Police have banned protests on Saturday at many of London's main rail stations, anticipating that demonstrations at the country's busiest transport hubs could cause severe disruption.

Ahead of the protests, a vigil was held at Downing Street tonight to mourn the civilians and healthcare workers killed in Israel's relentless bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip over recent weeks.

Israel began strikes on the enclave after the October 7 atrocities by Palestinian terror group Hamas, which saw 1,200 killed.

The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 12,000, including 5,000 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Friday. 

Dolls were laid in front of the Prime Minister's residence to highlight the number of children and babies killed in the bloody war, while protesters also held aloft placards with the names of medics who have lost their lives while trying to save others.

Furious protesters have been calling for a ceasefire for weeks, and now protests will grip the country as part of a coordinated day of action which will involve trade unionists.

Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said the rallies were organised to show that 'ordinary people' support a ceasefire.

'This Saturday, ordinary people across the UK will come out again to show the vast majority of them support a ceasefire,' he said.

'They will show their solidarity with Palestinians who are suffering unimaginable harm.'

A spokeswoman for organisers Stop The War Coalition said on Friday: 'Tomorrow is the day of action that we've called for.' 

'Groups around the country are organising local rallies and marches to basically build for the national demonstration that has been called for next Saturday,' she said.

The spokeswoman added that most of the rallies will have speakers, and some will still march.

'I think most of them have speakers from various organisations that are involved in the main marches, and then trade unionists,' she said.

This week, Labour saw a string of frontbench resignations after ten MPs defied Sir Keir Starmer and voted for an end to fighting.

MPs who did not rebel against the party leader have seen demonstrations in their constituencies, with marchers expected in Emily Thornberry's seat of Highbury and Islington today.

Last Saturday also saw shocking scenes of violence as far-right football hooligans claiming to be 'protecting the Cenotaph' clashed with police. 

Today, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) voiced fears that 'genocidal hate chanting and antisemitic rhetoric' would be heard on Britain's streets.

The Met said 300,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian march through London on Armistice Day, which saw some displaying antisemitic slogans and sickening support for Hamas. 

Meanwhile, the CAA filmed several protesters comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, with one branding Benjamin Netanyahu 'worse than Hitler'. 

The Metropolitan Police said that a 'significant' policing operation is planned for the capital this weekend as it plans to crackdown on any hateful behaviour.

Commander Karen Findlay, who is leading the Met's operation in London, said: 'Whilst there is no single large central protest event on Saturday, our policing priorities remain the same across the local events that are due to take place.

'We are here to ensure that people can exercise their right to protest but to make sure that is done lawfully, and that unreasonable disruption to the lives of other Londoners is kept to a minimum.

'Our officers will intervene swiftly where they see offences taking place. In particular, I want to reiterate that there is no place for hate in London. Hate crime will not be tolerated.

'Regrettably, while the majority of protesters coming out in recent weeks have been peaceful, we have continued to see people taking part in offensive chanting or intentionally carrying placards that cross the line from political statements into racially or religiously aggravated offences.'

The British Transport Police have issued Section 14a orders prohibiting protests on Saturday at many of London's main rail stations.

The orders will be in place between 10am and 11pm at Waterloo, Charing Cross, King's Cross, London Bridge, Euston, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Paddington, Victoria and St Pancras.

Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan said: 'We have been made aware of several planned demonstrations due to take place on Saturday November 18 across railway stations in London.

'We fully respect the rights of people to protest lawfully but where we believe this could cause serious disruption to the railway services, we must act.'

On Friday, schoolchildren walked out of their classes as part of a coordinated 'school strike for Palestine'. 

In Bristol, youngsters handed in a petition calling for a ceasefire, while similar events took place in other cities across the UK. 

It came after hundreds of pupils at a Wimbledon girls' school took part in a banned march in support of Palestine which left Jewish students feeling 'isolated and threatened' on Wednesday. 

Footage posted on TikTok shows how streams of uniformed girls aged 11-16 defied a ban on any political event within the school campus this week - leaving some girls, including some of Jewish backgrounds, feeling unsafe.

And on Thursday, a crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded the Labour constituency office of MP Rushanara Ali after she abstained from Wednesday's Gaza ceasefire vote in Parliament, following an earlier protest their by schoolchildren in the day. 

The Department of Education has responded by stressing that children should be in school and not 'missing out on their education'.