The Metropolitan Police (Met) has imposed an exclusion zone around the London Cenotaph ahead of a planned demonstration in London on Remembrance Weekend (November 11-12).
Despite assurances from several pro-Palestine protest leaders that they would avoid the Whitehall area, where the Cenotaph was located, the police force insisted that they would arrest any stragglers who would try to assemble close to the war memorial.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged protesters to be "mindful of the fear and distress in [both] Jewish and Muslim communities" in their gatherings on Saturday, November 11 - the anniversary of the end of World War I and a solemn commemoration for the British public.
Sunak also insisted that the timing of the Armistice Day march was "disrespectful."
Traffic passes by as police officers stand guard at the Cenotaph, the national 'War Memorial and Remembrance Site' on Whitehall in central London on November 10, 2023, ahead of expected demonstrations on Armistice Day, which commemorates the end of World War I. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described a planned march in London on Saturday -- Armistice Day, when Britain honours its war dead -- as "provocative and disrespectful" and suggested London's Metropolitan Police ban it. Police have said the march in support of Palestinians does not meet the legal threshold for requesting a government order to stop it going ahead.
The Met in Full Force
The BBC reported that tens of thousands are expected to take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday.
Concern is highest on the possibility of splinter groups which could cause violence and disorder based on previous protests. The Met was also factoring in the possibility of clashes with far-right counter-protesters.
A total of over 2,000 police officers are expected to be deployed over Remembrance Weekend.
An exclusion zone would be placed around the Cenotaph and a large portion of Whitehall, making those areas banned for protesters "in effect." Police would also have powers to arrest anyone associated with the pro-Palestinian demonstration who assembled in the area, and a dedicated 24-hour police presence would be in place around the Cenotaph until after Sunday's ceremony.
An exclusion zone was also imposed in the streets surrounding the Israeli and US embassies, as well as a dispersal zone in Soho.
The build-up to the latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London has been dominated by the statements made by British Home Secretary Suella Braverman about what she perceived was the police's bias towards the pro-Palestinian protesters.
Related Article: Interior Minister of Britain Sparks Outrage With Allegations of Police Bias Towards Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators
