Rishi Sunak has said he will hold the Met Police chief accountable over a pro-Palestinian march set to take place on Armistice Day
Rishi Sunak has expressed his intention to hold the Metropolitan Police chief accountable for the pro-Palestinian march scheduled to occur on Armistice Day. The Prime Minister’ in response’ has criticized the timing of the London demonstration’ deeming it “provocative and disrespectful.” However’ Sir Mark Rowley’ the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’ has rejected calls from campaigners to ban the protest’ asserting that such a measure should be considered a last resort.
These protests have become a recurring sight in London and numerous cities worldwide’ taking place every Saturday since the Israel-Gaza war commenced. In response to this’ Mr. Rishi Sunak plans to meet with Sir Mark during lunchtime to seek further assurances regarding the Met Police’s commitment to handling the march during the remembrance weekend in a robust manner. The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson stated that the Prime Minister views the protest as “completely inappropriate” and “provocative.” Nevertheless’ he does not intend to pressure Sir Mark into banning the march.
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In anticipation of this meeting’ Mr. Rishi Sunak expressed his view that the approval of the march was a decision made by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. He mentioned’ “He has said that he can ensure that we safeguard remembrance for the country this weekend as well as keep the public safe’” emphasizing his role in holding him accountable for this assurance. Mr. Rishi Sunak also indicated that his government had requested information from the police on how they would secure the remembrance events in central London. He added’ “More broadly’ my view is that these marches are disrespectful’ and that’s what I’ll be discussing with the police commissioner later today.”
Sir Mark Rowley was scheduled to appear at an event at the Institute for Government’ but it was postponed less than two hours before its commencement.
The power to ban a protest is an incredibly rare and weighty authority. The Metropolitan Police publicly urged the march’s organizers to consider postponing the event’ citing its inappropriateness. Both Mr. Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman criticized the timing of the event’ which is expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood’ the former defense minister’ also appealed to the organizers to reconsider and reschedule the rally for another day.
However’ the organizers have stood firm in their decision’ pointing out that the planned route does not pass by the Cenotaph war memorial. Additionally’ the march is scheduled to begin at 12:45’ following a two-minute silence. Despite calls from various quarters’ including the Campaign Against Antisemitism’ Sir Mark has resisted seeking powers from the Home Secretary to ban the march.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism claimed that previous marches had met the threshold test for public disorder that could justify a ban. They urged for a ban in light of the need to honor the memory of those who defended freedoms and fought against antisemitic hatred’ especially during the upcoming remembrance weekend.
Sir Mark has explained that while the police can request such powers in cases of a serious threat of disorder’ the threshold for doing so is very high and has not yet been met. The use of this power is incredibly rare and can only be invoked when there are no other viable methods to manage the event. Sir Mark also expressed concern about the risk of disorder escalating due to splinter groups breaking away from the main demonstration’ indicating that this threat would be closely monitored in the coming week.
Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer acknowledged the tensions surrounding the event and encouraged people to participate in remembrance events in London. He reassured that measures would be in place to ensure that veterans and participants could pay their respects without interference from other events occurring over the weekend.
Protest organizer Chris Nineham’ representing the Stop the War Coalition’ emphasized their commitment to ensuring that there is no antisemitism or calls for violence during their demonstrations. Rishi Sunak clarified that the protest was not about religion or race but rather aimed at expressing their perspective on the issue.
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