A group of veterans who are planning to gather outside a war memorial in Leeds city centre during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest say they "are not part of any political organisation or movement".
Darren Swain and Gary Wright have invited dozens of veterans to form a ring around the cenotaph outside Leeds Art Gallery on Sunday, June 21, when the BLM protest is due to take place in nearby Hyde Park.
Mr Swain, who served with The Household Cavalry for seven years, says they will be holding a peaceful vigil and protecting the memorial from vandalism.
They held a similar event at the same memorial on June 14 after several war memorials in London were defaced during Black Lives Matter protests.
Mr Swain admitted that a handful of "football fans" turned up uninvited and caused trouble at that event, but insists it was not a far-right demonstration.
He said: "Myself and other veterans will be attending a vigil at the Leeds war memorial and would just like to again state that we are there solely there to protect our memorials from desecration and vandalism.
"We are not part of any political organisation or movement.
"We respect everyone's right to protest and we hope that any planned protests are carried out in a peaceful manner.
"It is unfortunate that we find ourselves having to stand there, but in light of the current situation our nation finds itself in we have a duty of care to protect our fallen and our history."
