The Price of Free Speech: Armored Vehicles and 4,000 Officers for London Protests The Metropolitan Police's plans to deploy armoured vehicles and over 4,000 officers to police two rival protests in London this Saturday have raised concerns about the balance between public safety and free speech.
The potential for violence and hate speech crimes is a concern, but so too is the scale and scope of the policing response.
The Met will employ live facial recognition cameras, drones to scan for suspects, and riot gear for all officers.