November 8th 2023.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched from the BBC to Downing Street in London last month in support of the Gaza population. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, had to deal with political pressure to prohibit the march, but he declared that ‘there is no absolute power’ to ban protest. He said that the law only provides for the imposition of conditions to reduce disruption and the risk of violence, and that a ban would only be considered in the most extreme cases.
The march organisers had shown a ‘complete willingness to stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall’, so the Met had asked them to ‘urgently reconsider’ the march due to the potential for violence. However, the pro-Palestinian coalition refused to call it off. The Prime Minister's spokesman said that the government would carefully consider any application to prevent the march, since Rishi Sunak believed it was ‘provocative and disrespectful’.
The coalition of groups behind the march insisted that they would press ahead with the demonstration, calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. There were fears that breakaway groups and counter-demonstrators could cause trouble. English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson said that British men were mobilising for the march, and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer urged former military personnel not to join the protests.
The march route was due to go near the Cenotaph in Whitehall, but Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned that ‘hate marchers need to understand that decent British people have had enough of these displays of thuggish intimidation and extremism’. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk distanced himself from her comments, saying that he wouldn't use the language of ‘hate marchers’, but he acknowledged that some elements of the march were espousing hate.
The march organisers said that the police had a responsibility to withstand the political pressure and act to uphold democratic freedoms. The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall will take place on Saturday, with a two-minute silence at 11am, and Remembrance Sunday events will take place at the Cenotaph the following day. Meanwhile, the Government believes there are three British hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. More than 100 UK nationals who were in the territory at the start of the war have been able to flee the territory through the Rafah crossing.
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