Central London demonstration Saturday

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  • By Staff Reports
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Anjem Choudary, who heads the radical group Al-Mujaroun has called on Muslims living in the United Kingdom to assemble in Central London Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. to promote Islam for the UK. 

Their Web site asks protesters to assemble on the House of Commons and march to Downing Street where they will advocate for the removal of Gordon Brown from office. 

The procession will then make its way to Trafalgar Square where a rally will follow. 

Previously, this group has protested outside of the U.S. Embassy in London and burned U.S. flags. They were also prominent outside the Israeli Embassy earlier this year and also responsible for staging protests against UK troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Although there are no indications of anti-American sentiment for this demonstration; there is a strong possibility of counter protests by right wing UK groups, which have led to several small pockets of violence/criminal activity at previous rallies of this nature.

All military members, dependents and DoD employees are reminded to remain cognizant of demonstration areas for safety. 

It is increasingly important to monitor the surroundings at all times and exercise caution while traveling to large cities or at large gathering areas. 

Quick Tips for Safety and Security 

All personnel are reminded to increase situational awareness at all times and to remember safe and simple individual protective measures such as: 

1. Be alert to your surroundings and cautious of your conversation while utilizing public transportation or in public venues.
2. Avoid demonstration areas or spontaneous rallies.
3. Maintain 100 percent passport/ID card accountability.
4. Notify your chain of command of travel plans ensuring they have an accurate means of contacting you in case of emergency.
5. Do not display large sums of money.
6. Try to stay low key as much as possible.
7. Don't dress in a manner in which you stand out - blend in.
8. Check for further travel advisory messages from the State Department and/or Embassy (see links)
State Department: http://www.state.gov/
Embassy: http://usembassy.state.gov/
Current Travel Warnings: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html 

If you have any questions or concerns please contact the 100th ARW Antiterrorism Office at DSN 238-3127 or your unit AT representative.

Report all suspicious activity to the local constabularies (999 Emergency) or the Security Forces Control Center (911 Emergency, 238-2667 for non-emergencies).