Courtesy: "Guardian, UK", 29 April 2011
By Stephen Bates and Sandra Laville
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Royal wedding: London prepares for global audience
Massive police operation swings into action before Prince William marries Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey
The police and intelligence services have launched an unprecedented security operation as London prepares to celebrate the royal wedding in front of an estimated worldwide television audience of up to two billion.
The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the throne, and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey will be among the first global news events of the social media age. It will also be the most important – and, courtiers hope, positive – event for the future of the monarchy in nearly 30 years.
London has been inundated with tourists and thousands were converging on the wedding route between the Mall and the abbey. More than 8,500 journalists and broadcasting staff have arrived to cover the event, more than half of them from foreign news organisations. The day is likely to be cool and cloudy in London, with rain later. Across the country, stocks of bunting were said to have sold out.
It is expected that the Queen will bestow new titles – probably a dukedom – on her grandson and his bride. Today the couple issued a statement in an official programme, 150,000 copies of which will be sold for charity in central London, saying they were "incredibly moved" by the public's affection shown them since their engagement.
"We are both so delighted that you are able to join us in celebrating what we hope will be one of the happiest days of our lives."
In a show of strength to forestall threats of demonstrations and disruption by anarchists, terrorists or extremist groups, Scotland Yard carried out a series of dawn raids across London. Police with batons and riot gear arrested 20 people during an operation against five squats across the city. Those arrested were taken to the Paddington Green high security police station and may be detained into the weekend. There was a further arrest in Brighton on Wednesday.
Hundreds of Territorial Support Group officers were involved in what the Metropolitan police said was an ongoing operation to investigate suspected criminality linked to disorder at the student demonstration last December and the TUC march last month. But the action amounted to a controversial pre-emptive strike which the Met said was "intelligence led".
In the Commons, the Labour MP John McDonnell criticised the operation, saying it was "disproportionate and no way to celebrate this glorious day".
For the wedding itself, under huge political pressure from the home secretary and the mayor of London, the Met is mounting one of the biggest security operations in its history, expected to cost £20m, deploying 5,000 officers.
Some 900 uniformed officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, and undercover units and armed teams are being deployed to deal with a range of threats, from terrorism to direct action by activists. Thousands of service personnel will also line the procession route.
More than 80 people arrested in connection with the student demonstration in December and last month's TUC march have been barred from entering the City of Westminster under bail conditions imposed by the police and the courts. Police spotters are being used to look out for any of these people arriving in central London.
Scotland Yard was unapologetic about its show of strength. A spokesman said the raids were part of "ongoing proactive work to tackle suspected criminality", not "specifically related to the royal wedding [but] brought forward ahead of the event". Lawyers and residents of one squat also said that most of the arrests were for "abstracting electricity".
All police leave has been cancelled. Just under 1,000 officers have been assigned to rapid response teams to deal with any incidents. Assistant commissioner Lynne Owens, who is in charge of the operation, had warned that arrests might be made in pre-emptive strikes against individuals if intelligence showed they were planning criminal activity on the wedding day.
The Syrian ambassador, Sami Khiyami, had his invitation withdrawn by the foreign secretary, William Hague, after growing pressure from the media over the regime's violent suppression of demonstrations in Syria.
Khiyami told the BBC: "I find it a bit embarrassing … well, I don't really understand it, but I understand the influence of media on government."
But it emerged that another controversial figure is still attending the wedding – the former head of an agency accused of torture and human rights. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Ali al-Khalifa, a former head of Bahrain's National Security Agency, which is accused of torture and human rights abuses, is due to attend in his role as ambassador to London.
Bahrain's crown prince withdrew at the weekend because of unrest in his country, but a spokesperson for the Bahraini embassy in London said the ambassador was expected to attend.
The wedding ceremony itself – the 15th royal marriage to be celebrated at the abbey since 1100 – will place emphasis on Britishness, with music from three living composers, including an anthem specially commissioned by the dean, chapter from John Rutter and music by the Welsh composer Paul Mealor as well as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
The Middleton family were spending the evening quietly at the Goring hotel near Buckingham Palace, which was cordoned off with a marquee shielding the entrance so that the bride will be able to slip unobserved into one of Buckingham Palace's Rolls Royces for her journey to the abbey at precisely 10.51am this morning. Her dress will not be revealed until she arrives at the abbey nine minutes later. The designer Sarah Burton appeared to have entered the hotel in disguise this afternoon.
After the wedding there will be a lunchtime reception for 650 guests at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen, and an obligatory balcony kiss for the newlyweds at 1.25pm – before the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh head for the country, leaving 300 guests to return for a dinner hosted by Prince Charles in the evening.
Thousands of street parties – including one by anti-monarchists in central London – are planned for this afternoon, though undoubtedly the most publicised will be the one for 90 guests in Downing Street, supervised by Lady Warsi, giving a new dimension to the minister without portfolio's job description. Downing Street is being decked with flags and there will be a large screen to allow guests to watch the wedding coverage, a brass band, an ice-cream stall and children's entertainment.
The only comment to emerge from the palace was when the Duchess of Cornwall ventured out of Clarence House to meet people camping on the Mall. "We're all ready for tomorrow. It's wonderful and we're all very excited," she said. "It's such a great atmosphere here. It is so nice to meet people and see the celebrations are getting under way."
The marriage of Prince William, the second in line to the throne, and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey will be among the first global news events of the social media age. It will also be the most important – and, courtiers hope, positive – event for the future of the monarchy in nearly 30 years.
London has been inundated with tourists and thousands were converging on the wedding route between the Mall and the abbey. More than 8,500 journalists and broadcasting staff have arrived to cover the event, more than half of them from foreign news organisations. The day is likely to be cool and cloudy in London, with rain later. Across the country, stocks of bunting were said to have sold out.
It is expected that the Queen will bestow new titles – probably a dukedom – on her grandson and his bride. Today the couple issued a statement in an official programme, 150,000 copies of which will be sold for charity in central London, saying they were "incredibly moved" by the public's affection shown them since their engagement.
"We are both so delighted that you are able to join us in celebrating what we hope will be one of the happiest days of our lives."
In a show of strength to forestall threats of demonstrations and disruption by anarchists, terrorists or extremist groups, Scotland Yard carried out a series of dawn raids across London. Police with batons and riot gear arrested 20 people during an operation against five squats across the city. Those arrested were taken to the Paddington Green high security police station and may be detained into the weekend. There was a further arrest in Brighton on Wednesday.
Hundreds of Territorial Support Group officers were involved in what the Metropolitan police said was an ongoing operation to investigate suspected criminality linked to disorder at the student demonstration last December and the TUC march last month. But the action amounted to a controversial pre-emptive strike which the Met said was "intelligence led".
In the Commons, the Labour MP John McDonnell criticised the operation, saying it was "disproportionate and no way to celebrate this glorious day".
For the wedding itself, under huge political pressure from the home secretary and the mayor of London, the Met is mounting one of the biggest security operations in its history, expected to cost £20m, deploying 5,000 officers.
Some 900 uniformed officers will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, and undercover units and armed teams are being deployed to deal with a range of threats, from terrorism to direct action by activists. Thousands of service personnel will also line the procession route.
More than 80 people arrested in connection with the student demonstration in December and last month's TUC march have been barred from entering the City of Westminster under bail conditions imposed by the police and the courts. Police spotters are being used to look out for any of these people arriving in central London.
Scotland Yard was unapologetic about its show of strength. A spokesman said the raids were part of "ongoing proactive work to tackle suspected criminality", not "specifically related to the royal wedding [but] brought forward ahead of the event". Lawyers and residents of one squat also said that most of the arrests were for "abstracting electricity".
All police leave has been cancelled. Just under 1,000 officers have been assigned to rapid response teams to deal with any incidents. Assistant commissioner Lynne Owens, who is in charge of the operation, had warned that arrests might be made in pre-emptive strikes against individuals if intelligence showed they were planning criminal activity on the wedding day.
The Syrian ambassador, Sami Khiyami, had his invitation withdrawn by the foreign secretary, William Hague, after growing pressure from the media over the regime's violent suppression of demonstrations in Syria.
Khiyami told the BBC: "I find it a bit embarrassing … well, I don't really understand it, but I understand the influence of media on government."
But it emerged that another controversial figure is still attending the wedding – the former head of an agency accused of torture and human rights. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Ali al-Khalifa, a former head of Bahrain's National Security Agency, which is accused of torture and human rights abuses, is due to attend in his role as ambassador to London.
Bahrain's crown prince withdrew at the weekend because of unrest in his country, but a spokesperson for the Bahraini embassy in London said the ambassador was expected to attend.
The wedding ceremony itself – the 15th royal marriage to be celebrated at the abbey since 1100 – will place emphasis on Britishness, with music from three living composers, including an anthem specially commissioned by the dean, chapter from John Rutter and music by the Welsh composer Paul Mealor as well as Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
The Middleton family were spending the evening quietly at the Goring hotel near Buckingham Palace, which was cordoned off with a marquee shielding the entrance so that the bride will be able to slip unobserved into one of Buckingham Palace's Rolls Royces for her journey to the abbey at precisely 10.51am this morning. Her dress will not be revealed until she arrives at the abbey nine minutes later. The designer Sarah Burton appeared to have entered the hotel in disguise this afternoon.
After the wedding there will be a lunchtime reception for 650 guests at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen, and an obligatory balcony kiss for the newlyweds at 1.25pm – before the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh head for the country, leaving 300 guests to return for a dinner hosted by Prince Charles in the evening.
Thousands of street parties – including one by anti-monarchists in central London – are planned for this afternoon, though undoubtedly the most publicised will be the one for 90 guests in Downing Street, supervised by Lady Warsi, giving a new dimension to the minister without portfolio's job description. Downing Street is being decked with flags and there will be a large screen to allow guests to watch the wedding coverage, a brass band, an ice-cream stall and children's entertainment.
The only comment to emerge from the palace was when the Duchess of Cornwall ventured out of Clarence House to meet people camping on the Mall. "We're all ready for tomorrow. It's wonderful and we're all very excited," she said. "It's such a great atmosphere here. It is so nice to meet people and see the celebrations are getting under way."
....................
Note: The viewpoint expressed in this article is solely that of the writer / news outlet. "FATA Awareness Initiative" Team may not agree with the opinion presented.
....................
We Hope You find the info useful. Keep visiting this blog and remember to leave your feedback / comments / suggestions / requests / corrections.
With Regards,
"FATA Awareness Initiative" Team.
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