RISHI Sunak has claimed that a march due to take place on Armistice Day calling for peace in Gaza would be "disrespectful".
The UK Government’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat has already written to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Metropolitan Police asking them to look into what powers they have to stop any protests taking place on Saturday in central London.
During an interview on BBC Breakfast, Tugendhat said protests would not be “acceptable”.
“Let’s be clear, the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign has said that they want to march on Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday – and that is a matter of great concern to me,” he said.
“It is a moment where we remember those we lost, and I think for the whole country the Cenotaph is sacred ground and the idea that on a day like Remembrance Day you would have a protest going past it, I don’t think that is acceptable.”
The Metropolitan Police said that groups had not made any plans to protest on Remembrance Sunday but that a significant demonstration was due to take place on Saturday, with officers in place to ensure they do not “interfere” with Armistice Day events.
However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he had asked Suella Braverman to do "everything necessary" to "protect the sanctity of Armistice Day".
In a statement, he said: “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.”
Protesters are due to march in support of calls for a ceasefire in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
