Several UK ministers have urged police to ban a planned pro-Palestine march set to take place on Saturday, November 11th, the day on which the UK and other commonwealth countries mark Remembrance Day in honour of those who died in war.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday that he supported a police crackdown on any criminal behaviour during the Remembrance Day events, saying they have his “absolute and total backing,” a Times report states.
Sunak also stated that Home Secretary Suella Braverman was convening a meeting of the London Metropolitan Police and others to focus on the issue.
Braverman has previously labelled the pro-Palestine demonstrations “hate marches,” stating,
We’ve seen now tens of thousands of people take to the streets after the massacre of Jewish people, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map.
To my mind, there is only one way to describe those marches: they are hate marches.
Her comments drew ire from Scotland’s Muslim First Minister Humza Yousaf who stated he was angry that Braverman would label the marches in such a manner.
“I am beyond angry at the Home Secretary and the UK Government who seem to want to drive every issue into a culture war. Describing those marches as hate marches is disgraceful, unacceptable,” he said.
Braverman also stated that anyone who attempts to desecrate the Cenotaph “must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground.”
UK Energy Secretary Claire Coutinhosaid she and other ministers would back the police if they decided to ban the November 11th march, saying that past marches have seen chants of “jihad” along with other incidents:
What ministers have done is they’ve let the police know — because the police have operational responsibility for those marches — that if they were to make the decision that they did think there was a disorder risk that they would fully back them up on that.
I have very serious concerns. If you think about Armistice Day, it’s a day of national mourning for the country when we remember people who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, for our dignity. And I wouldn’t like to see that disrupted. I don’t think that chimes with the culture of this country.
Scotland Yard has been considering banning the pro-Palestine march on Saturday and has promised to deploy thousands of officers to make sure Remembrance Day is not disrupted.
“We fully appreciate the national significance of Armistice Day. Thousands of officers will be deployed in an extensive security operation and we will use all powers and tactics at our disposal to ensure that anyone intent on disrupting it will not succeed,” Met commander Keren Findlay said.
The Met also released an official statement on Sunday saying:
We recognise the terrible events in Israel and Gaza continue to have an impact on communities across London and recognise there is significant concern.
The Met has an important role to play in making sure London is a safe place for everybody and over the past four weeks we have dedicated thousands of officers to reassuring communities, policing protests and dealing with anyone who breaks the law.
We continue to work with protest organisers to ensure they are lawful, whilst balancing the concerns of other communities.
Our most experienced and knowledgeable commanders are working on the policing of these events, making sure we are utilising all legislation to its fullest extent.
Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986 allows for the banning of a procession when there is a risk of serious disorder. It has to be approved by a Secretary of State.
Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 allow for conditions to be imposed to processions and public assembly to prevent serious disruption. We have used this legislation over recent weeks and will continue to use any legislation necessary to keep people safe
On Monday, however, Scotland Yard refused to ban the protests but called on organisers to postpone their demonstrations during a meeting with the organisers but claimed they refused to postpone any events.
“The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing. This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital. Our message to organisers is clear: Please, we ask you to urgently reconsider. It is not appropriate to hold any protests in London this weekend,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the group behind the demonstrations, has promised to avoid the Cenotaph and Whitehall, planning their route from Hyde Park to the Embassy of the United States. The march is set to start at around 12:45 pm.
A spokesman for the Free Palestine Coalition (FPC), however, stated that Braverman’s comments were emboldening police to be aggressive or violent.
“From Glasgow to London demonstrations have been overwhelmingly peaceful in solidarity with the people of Palestine, and it is the police escalating violence and targeting predominantly Black and brown youth. To see calls for Ceasefire Now and an end to genocide be met with violence is disturbing,” the spokesman said.
Saturday’s planned march will be the fifth since Hamas murdered over 1,400 Israeli civilians and took hundreds of hostages on October 7th.
Marchers have called for a ceasefire as Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip and launched ground operations in an effort to destroy Hamas.
Last week, the Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi announced that troops had surrounded Gaza City and were preparing operations within the densely populated city.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, meanwhile, stated “The term ‘ceasefire’ is not at all on the table at the moment.”
