Live facial recognition cameras to be used for first time as 80,000 travel for London protests

Two major protests have been planned to take place in London today, leading police to deploy a costly measure for the very first time.

Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march and the pro-Palestine Nakba Day rally are both happening right now, as tens of thousands of protesters gather for either march.

While one includes people seen waving the Union and Israel’s flag, others in the South Kensington area are carrying Union and Palestine flags.

However, both are being subjected to live facial recognition for the very first time to catch people involved in past crime cases.

From armoured vehicles, drones, and helicopters, to police horses and dogs, the Metropolitan police have confirmed the measures they are taking to enforce security, as a number of individuals already having been arrested at either event.

The Met revealed the two men had been wanted in connection of a hit-and-run incident.

The London protests have led to the deployment of new surveillance (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

The Metropolitan Police posted on X of the incidents: “Two men, wanted on suspicion of GBH following an incident in Birmingham where a man was run over, were spotted arriving into London to attend the UTK protest.”

A woman was also arrested after she appeared to refuse to remove her face mask at the Palestine march, bringing the total to 11 arrests made.

The Met revealed in a statement of the measures it had planned for today, last week, revealing: "This Saturday is also the first time we will be using live facial recognition as part of a protest policing operation. It will be deployed in the London borough of Camden in an area likely to be used by those attending the Unite the Kingdom event.

"The event is expected to attract significant numbers and we have intelligence which indicates that there is likely to be a threat to public safety from some who might be in attendance. LFR won’t be deployed within the assembly or rally points of either protest or on the route itself.”

The cameras are there to catch people on a pre=existing watch-list per the Met (Getty Stock Images)

The statement added that the facial recognition is being used to compare the ‘faces of those walking past with the faces of those on a specific watch list.’

It explained: “If a potential match isn’t detected the biometrics are deleted in just seconds and cannot be recovered.”

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said, per the statement, that the policing operation taking place right now will cost the force around £4.5 million, with approximately £1.7 million being used to fetch other officers from neighbouring areas to assist in the efforts.