London’s Metropolitan Police has withdrawn its attempt to delay the start of Saturday’s pro-Palestine march after facing accusations from organisers of infringing on their right to protest. The decision came just hours before the planned demonstration, following an earlier imposition of restrictions that would have delayed the march’s start time until after 2:30 PM.

The coalition of groups organising the protest, which is set to end at the Israeli embassy, announced on Friday that police had “backed down” on the imposed restrictions. This decision followed a week of tense discussions, during which the organisers accused the authorities of using intimidation and suppression tactics. The coalition confirmed that the assembly would proceed at noon on Regent Street St James, as planned.

In a separate statement, the Metropolitan Police explained that their public order conditions were “reviewed and amended” due to new information. Despite lifting some restrictions, the police still stipulated that the march could not start before 1:30 PM. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan clarified that the original conditions had been implemented to address concerns over potential clashes with other planned events. However, following the cancellation of one such event, the conditions were reassessed to ensure a balance between the lawful right to protest and minimising disruption to the broader community.