Rishi Sunak hit out at “provocative and disrespectful” pro-Palestine protests planned for Remembrance Day.
Thousands of demonstrators demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict are planning to take to the streets of London on November 11 sparking fears events commemorating the nation’s war dead could be disrupted.
The Prime Minister said in a statement this afternoon: “To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for.
“The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected.
“I have asked the Home Secretary to support the Met Police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.”
Mr Sunak’s intervention comes after security minister Tom Tugendhat said he has written to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council urging them to look at what powers they have to deal with the rally.
The former soldier told Times Radio: “I wrote last night to the Mayor of London, Westminster Council, and to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police because you’ll understand that for me and for fellow veterans November 11 isn’t just another day.
“It’s not just even a day of remembrance actually it’s a day of grief.
“And for many of us, it’s a day when we remember friends who aren’t standing with us anymore, some who fell at the time and some who have sadly taken their own lives since.
“And it can be a very painful moment. And I think that’s why this is not an appropriate time, this is not an appropriate venue for protest.
“It’s a time for us to come together and to remember all those who served our country with courage and distinction in many conflicts around the world and gave us the freedoms and the liberties that we’re lucky enough to enjoy today.”
