Sunak: Armistice Day Palestinian protest ‘provocative and disrespectful’

The Metropolitan Police has resisted calls to ban the march but has urged organisers to call it off.

Protesters during a pro-Palestine march organised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign in central London. Picture date: Saturday October 28, 2023. (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak has heaped further pressure on Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley to ban a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day.

The Prime Minister believes a protest on November 11 would be “provocative and disrespectful” amid concerns that trouble could flare as a result of breakaway groups.

The Met has urged the march organisers to “urgently reconsider” the event because of a growing risk of violence.

But it has not yet formally requested the power to ban the event under Section 13 of the Public Order Act 1986, which would only apply if there was the threat of “serious public disorder”, which could not be controlled by other measures.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said operational decisions on whether to ban the planned march in London were for the Metropolitan Police.

But the spokesman said the Government would “carefully consider” any application to prevent it.

“The Prime Minister himself does not think it’s right for these sorts of protests to be scheduled on Armistice Day,” the spokesman said.

“He believes that is provocative and disrespectful.”

Organisers of Saturday’s demonstration have so far defied calls from the Met not to go ahead.

The coalition of groups, which includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War and the Muslim Association of Britain, insisted they would press ahead with the demonstration calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the police had to balance the right to protest with concerns about public safety.

“Now, they have been very clear that having weighed all that up, their strong request is that these marches don’t take place and we support the police in that,” Mr Chalk said.

“We think that it’s wise advice.”

Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who leads public order policing in the English capital, said on Monday: “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.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who welcomed the Met’s statement, said that “hate marchers need to understand that decent British people have had enough of these displays of thuggish intimidation and extremism”.

Mr Chalk made clear that he would not use the language of “hate marchers”, but insisted it did not signal “confusion” within Government.

“There is no doubt there are elements on these marches that I’m afraid are espousing hate,” he said, “But equally there will be those people who are there expressing their anguish at some of the untold suffering.”

The organisers of the protest said they were “deeply concerned” by the Met statement.

They said the force could not provide “any evidence” for why the risk of breakaway groups engaging in criminal activity would be any greater.

The organisers added: “We recognise the political pressure being placed on the police by the Government and right-wing political groups.

“However, we emphasise that they had and have a responsibility to withstand that pressure and act to uphold democratic freedoms.

“We will be holding a protest on Saturday and we invite all people of conscience to join us in peacefully marching as planned.”

The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, which is usually attended by members of the royal family, will take place on Saturday, with a two-minute silence at 11am.

Remembrance Sunday events will take place at the Cenotaph in Westminster the following day.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has pledged to avoid the Whitehall area where the Cenotaph is located on its march.

The planned route goes from Hyde Park – about a mile from the Cenotaph – to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer said he had urged former military personnel not to stage counter-demonstrations and stressed that the route of the pro-Palestinian march was not due to go near the Cenotaph.

Mr Mercer, in a letter to Met chief Sir Mark, said he had spent the weekend “dissuading various veterans groups from organising marches or protests this Saturday”.

But he urged police to protect veterans who were marking the Armistice or Remembrance Sunday.

“I have particular concern towards our elderly veterans for whom travelling to London once a year is an important part of their Remembrance and have expressed genuine fears to me around their ability to travel to London, particularly through our rail stations, unmolested,” he said.

“Whilst wholly respecting the police’s operational independence, I ask that your organisation make full use of the powers at their disposal to ensure that these concerns do not materialise.”

His comments came after 78-year-old poppy seller Jim Henderson was allegedly punched at Waverley Station in Edinburgh during a pro-Palestinian rally, an incident described as “repulsive” by Downing Street.

A meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee was expected on Tuesday to consider the domestic impact of the hostilities in the Middle East, which have flared since Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel.

The meeting, led by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, would consider issues around “community cohesion”.

Meanwhile, the Government believes there are three British hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Chalk told Sky News: “We think there are three British hostages who are there.”

In terms of Britons still trapped in Gaza, he said that numbers were unclear but told the programme: “In terms of the numbers who have been allowed to leave, about 100 have been able to leave.”

The Foreign Office is continuing to work to get British citizens out through the Rafah crossing and into Egypt.