The Metropolitan Police has told campaigners that the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, will arrive in London 7 March for three days of high-profile meetings. He won’t just be met by civil servants and politicians, he will also be met by protesters.

The visit will be part of the ongoing charm-offensive being waged by the Crown Prince, who has already enjoyed high profile meetings with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. Next month it will be Theresa May playing host.

Beneath the “modernising” and liberal image he has worked so hard to build, there has been very little change. The Saudi Crown Prince might be a PR-friendly figurehead for one of the most authoritarian regimes in the world, but he has been the lead architect of the devastating three yearlong bombardment of Yemen.

The war has killed thousands of people, and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The destruction of vital infrastructure has caused the worst outbreak of cholera on record: with over one million people having been infected by the deadly disease.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemen’s Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdom’s Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as “inciting people against the authorities”. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabia’s clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

Aid has not been able to reach the millions of people that need it, with a Saudi-imposed blockade having stopped food and medical supplies from entering Yemen. Despite some relief over recent months, over 20 million people have been left in need of humanitarian assistance.

The response of Theresa May and her colleagues hasn’t been to condemn the bombing and call for a much-needed ceasefire. On the contrary, the UK government has armed and supported the bombing campaign since day one.

Since the bombing began in 2015, the UK has licensed over £4.6bn worth of fighter jets and bombs to the Saudi military. These include Typhoon fighter jets, which are flying over Yemen right now, and Paveway IV bombs, which investigators from Human Rights Watch have linked to attacks on civilian infrastructure.

There is no doubt that arms sales will be on the agenda during next month’s visit. The UK Government is currently working with BAE Systems to sell even more military aircraft.

The ruthlessness of the new Crown Prince has not just been on display in Yemen, but also in Riyadh, where he has overseen one of the most extensive crackdowns in recent years.

The luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, would usually set you back £460 per night, but for the last few months it has served as a prison for Saudi royalty. Last November, over 300 princes, government ministers and businessmen were taken to the 52 acre-site and locked-up for interrogation as part of what was claimed to be a major anti-corruption probe.

The scale of the suppression has been mirrored on the streets, although the prisons for Saudi civilians have been far less decadent. Last year, the Saudi authorities executed 141 people and detained scores of human rights campaigners as part of what UN experts branded a “worrying pattern of widespread and systematic arbitrary arrests and detention.”

The visit won’t just provide a boost for military relations between the UK and the Saudi dictatorship, it will also provide a major propaganda coup for the regime.

The images of the Crown Prince on the steps of Downing Street will be broadcast all over the world. They will be seen as an important and uncritical endorsement. They will also send a clear message to human rights campaigners in Saudi Arabia that their rights don’t matter.

The Crown Prince may have convinced Theresa May and her colleagues that he is a “moderniser” and a force for liberty, but the UK public has not been so easily fooled. When the Crown Prince arrives he will be met with protests and opposition from across the political spectrum.

Poll after poll has shown that the overwhelming majority of the UK opposes arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Next month, campaigners will take to the streets and send the message loudly and clearly that this visit is not in our name and that the Saudi Crown Prince is not welcome.

You can sign the petition to oppose the Crown Prince’s visit here. Details of the protests can be found here.