You may already be aware of the planned demonstrations and marches in Newcastle City centre on 17^th February 2018 by ‘Veterans Against Terrorism’ and ‘Newcastle Unites’.  Please find following some key messages in advance of the day below.  These are a little lengthy as they have been written deliberately to apply to specific groups (as the headings indicate), not all of them will apply to you.

I would ask that you circulate these messages to your teams / colleagues as appropriate.  Please feel free to remove sections which do not apply to your audience, otherwise there is some obvious repetition. 

General

• Veterans Against Terrorism are holding a protest march in Newcastle on the morning of Saturday, February 17. The march will also be supported by the Football Lads Alliance (FLA).
• The group will meet at Neville Street, opposite Newcastle Central Station, from 10.30am and the protest march will begin at 12.30pm. The route will take them down Grainger Street, Grey Street, Highbridge Street, through the Cloth Market before finishing in the Bigg Market for speeches at the fountain. Those speeches are expected to last an hour before the groups disperse.
• A Newcastle Unites demonstration will also take place. The group will hold a static protest at the Monument where speeches will take place before processing down Blackett Street for another static protest on Newgate Street.
• It is not unusual for a counter demonstration to take place in instances such as this and we have plans in place to be able to deal with this.
• We know members of the community, local businesses and the general public may be concerned of the potential impact these events will have and will ensure plans are in place to keep disruption to a minimum.
• Police expect hundreds of people to be in attendance at the marches and so Newcastle will be busier than usual but Northumbria Police is very experienced at policing marches of this nature.
• The right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental democratic right laid down by the European Convention and we respect this right.
• The force acts in a neutral standpoint and does not support or endorse any groups or individuals.
• Our role is to protect, reassure and support our communities. Our priority is the safety of everyone – those attending any events, those policing them, those protesting and the general public.

Business community 

• The right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental democratic right laid down by the European Convention and we respect this right.
• The force acts in a neutral standpoint and does not support or endorse any groups or individuals.
• Our role is to protect, reassure and support our communities. Our priority is the safety of everyone – those attending any events, those policing them, those protesting and the general public.
• There will be a highly visible policing presence in Newcastle on the day of the protest and we will be working with local businesses to ensure any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.
• We enjoy a really positive relationship with the business community in Newcastle and any of our officers on duty will be happy to speak to business owners and staff about their concerns.

Road closures

• Due to the route of both protest marches, police will have to enforce some rolling road closures but officers will endeavour to re-open them as quickly as possible and minimise disruption to the city centre.
• Streets affected by both protests include Newgate Street, Blackett Street, Neville Street, Grainger street, Grey Street, Highbridge Street and the Bigg Market.
• Specialist motor patrols officers will be on duty to minimise disruption in the city centre and wider strategic road network.

For transport providers

• Due to the large numbers expected to be involved in the protest there will be some disruption to roads in Newcastle city centre but police are working closely with transport providers to avoid major disruption.
• At some points of the march traffic will have to be held by police but officers will endeavour to keep traffic flowing through the city centre.
• Motor patrols officers will be on duty on the day of the protest and will be in a position to quickly respond to any issues on the roads.
• Northumbria Police is also working with the British Transport Police and Nexus to ensure that disruption on the rail and metro network is minimised.

Other specific messages for BME communities and other visitors to the city

• The right to peaceful demonstration is a fundamental democratic right laid down by the European Convention and we respect this right.
• The force acts in a neutral standpoint and does not support or endorse any groups or individuals.
• The organisers from both groups have assured us they do not want any trouble and their intention is to hold peaceful protests.
• Officers from the Central Engagement Team will be liaising with many different faith groups to advise them about the protest and reassure them that a policing plan is in place.
• Anyone who has any concerns ahead of the event can contact the Community Engagement Team on 101 extension 62385.
• There will be extra officers on duty on the day of the protest and any visitors to the city who are concerned about what is happening is advised to speak to those officers on duty.