November 11th 2023.
Metropolitan Police officers stand guard beside the Cenotaph on Whitehall, in central London, ahead of the Armistice Day marches planned for Saturday. Police have warned they are prepared to use force, if necessary, to ensure the day is not disrupted.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a plea for ‘unity’, calling on all those taking part in the protest to do so ‘respectfully and peacefully’ and to also respect Armistice Day commemorations.
‘This act of remembrance is fundamental to who we are as a country and I want to reassure those wishing to pay their respects, attend services and travel that they can and should do so,’ said Mr Sunak in a statement.
Scotland Yard will deploy nearly 2,000 officers across central London in a major policing operation over the weekend. An exclusion zone has been set up around the war memorial, while the route of the march has been changed to avoid the ‘Remembrance footprint’ within Whitehall.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been under pressure from all sides after accusing the police of bias when they resisted pressure to ban the pro-Palestinian march. After her comments were widely criticised and called for Mr Sunak to sack her, Mrs Braverman expressed her ‘full backing’ for the Metropolitan Police at a meeting with Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
The officer in charge of policing London during Saturday’s demo has conceded it will be a ‘very difficult weekend for policing’. Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘We have got a significant march taking place. We are aware there will be counter-protests, as well as a lot of people who would ordinarily come to London to mark their respect on Armistice Day, on Remembrance Sunday. That means we need a large and robust policing plan in place.’
The number of officers on duty in London will be double the usual amount, with 1,850 officers on Saturday and 1,375 on Sunday. An exclusion zone will be put in place using metal barriers covering Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, and the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance. The Cenotaph will also have a dedicated 24-hour police presence that will remain in place until the conclusion of Remembrance events on Sunday.
Mr Taylor said officers will likely have to use force that ‘might look messy’ on Saturday. He went on: ‘The objective of policing is to use the least intrusive force possible to achieve an end. There will be times this weekend where you see pockets of confrontation, despite the conditions and everything I’ve put in place to manage that. You will see police intervention, and I hope we don’t but I think it’s likely you will see police having to use force to manage some of the situations that we have to deal with, and at times that might look messy.’
The planned route for the pro-Palestinian march goes from Hyde Park to the US embassy in Vauxhall. The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, which will be attended by the King and Queen and other members of the royal family, will take place on Saturday, followed by Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph in Whitehall the following day.
Mrs Braverman is expected to take part in the service, amid speculation at Westminster that she could soon be moved by Mr Sunak in a ministerial reshuffle. Downing Street said on Friday, that Mr Sunak still had confidence in her, and they were still internally investigating the ‘details’ of how her inflammatory article was published unaltered despite changes requested by No 10.
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