London, Nov 11: The Metropolitan Police have mounted a major policing operation for London on Saturday as the UK observed a two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day commemorating the country’s World War martyrs, with thousands of demonstrators planning to march through the streets of the city to protest against the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Following days of controversy over the pro-Palestinian protests not being banned on what is known as Remembrance weekend in the UK, the Metropolitan Police said it had doubled the number of officers on duty to around 2,000 and warned that any disruption whatsoever to remembrance events would be dealt with “robustly”.
It follows UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman criticising the police force for “playing favourites” by not taking tougher action against protesters who resorted to aggression.
Earlier, Sunak had labelled the protests on Armistice Day as “provocative and disrespectful” but has since back the Met Police in their decision to police the pro-Palestinian march while protecting the sanctity of the Remembrance weekend.
Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, is commemorated every year on November 11 to mark the armistice or end of hostilities signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany.
“Today, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the nation will observe the Two Minute Silence in remembrance of the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country,” Sunak posted on X with the symbolic poppy associated with Armistice Day.
“We’ll be using an extensive set of powers to prevent any disruption whatsoever to Remembrance events, policing the demonstration as it passes through parts of the capital, while protecting our communities from those intent on inciting hate, violence and disorder,” the Met Police said in a statement.
“The powers we’ve put in place enable us to more quickly and robustly identify and arrest those seeking to use these events to commit crime or cause disorder…Anyone taking part must stick to the pre-agreed route which takes the march far away from Whitehall,” it said.
The police said that to protect the National Remembrance events, which sees British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lead the nation in a commemorative ceremony at the 103-year-old Cenotaph war memorial near Downing Street, an exclusion zone will be in place covering Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance and other relevant areas, in effect banning those on the march from these locations.
“In recent weeks smaller groups have broken away after the main protest and committed offences and created disorder. To prevent this, a dispersal zone will be in place covering key central London locations including Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. Anyone refusing to disperse can be arrested,” the police said.
The significant operation follows a major political row following Braverman’s controversial article in ‘The Times’ earlier this week, which prompted calls for her sacking after it emerged that the content had not been cleared by Sunak.
She termed protesters “hate marchers” and accused the Met Police of “double standards” by not taking action against “pro-Palestinian mobs”. The row has exacerbated the divisions within the governing Conservative Party as sections of Tories condemned her language and demanded her sacking along with the Opposition parties.
However, a rival group of Braverman supporters on the extreme right of the party rallied to her defence and warned Sunak against removing her from the Cabinet. Meanwhile, Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister has “full confidence” in the Home Secretary though her unapproved Op-Ed piece is still being looked into. (PTI)
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