LONDON — The Metropolitan Police will deploy at least 4,000 officers, armored vehicles, police horses, dogs, drones and helicopters in London this weekend to police rival rallies. The force has set up separate routes to keep apart those marching in support of a protest organized by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known by his pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and those participating in the annual Nakba commemoration demonstration.

Live facial recognition will be used for the first time in a protest policing operation, with cameras set up in the Camden neighborhood of north London. Prosecutors have been told to consider whether protest placards, banners and chants viewed on social media may amount to stirring up hatred offenses during the rallies.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the Metropolitan Police's command center on Friday to discuss policing arrangements alongside Met Commissioner Mark Rowley and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. "We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence," Starmer said. "For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law."

The British government blocked 11 foreign nationals from entering the UK for the "Unite the Kingdom" rally organized by Yaxley-Lennon. Right-wing figures claiming to have been barred from the UK include Dominik Tarczynski, Filip Dewinter, Valentina Gomez and Eva Vlaardingerbroek.

Crown Prosecution Service Director Stephen Parkinson addressed the guidance issued to prosecutors ahead of the demonstrations. "This is not about restricting free speech," Parkinson said. "It is about preventing hate crime and protecting the public, particularly at a time of heightened tensions."

Nakba is the Arabic term for "catastrophe," marking the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians from what is now Israel in 1948. The commemoration is held annually by Palestinians and their supporters.