The UK’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has criticized planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations scheduled for Armistice Day, calling them “provocative and disrespectful.” Sunak claimed that there was a “clear and present” danger that war memorials like London’s Cenotaph would be “desecrated.” His comments arrived shortly ahead of a march in London on Nov. 11. However, the organizers of the event stated that they were not intending to go anywhere close to the Cenotaph and that they were aware of the sensitivity surrounding the date. The protest is expected to call for a cessation of hostilities on the Gaza Strip.
The Metropolitan Police said it was organizing a “significant” operation and had already been in close contact with the protest’s organizers. Sunak also wrote a letter to Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, assuring him that the government supported him in “making robust use” of all his powers to secure “Remembrance activities.” He added that he was “deeply worried that a number of protests are currently planned to disrupt” remembrance events.
Sunak asked Home Secretary Suella Braverman to support the police in “doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday”. Braverman described a protest on 11 November as a “hate march through London”, urging that there was an “clear risk of significant public disorder, violence, and damage” if it went ahead. Events are organized across the UK to celebrate the end of World War One on Armistice Day, which is always on 11 November.
In the meantime, Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of the international rights group Human Rights Watch, responded to Sunak’s comment about “disrespectful” protests, calling it “cynical, culture-war politics and an attack on our democratic freedoms.” The Met guaranteed a “significant policing and security activity” during 11 and 12 November, stating that it was “absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and security of anyone attending commemorative events.
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