London Metropolitan police will shut down the Cenotaph on Armistice Day (Remembrance Day) as officials anticipate 70,000 anti-Israel protesters to descend on the city. Instead, Met police asked the pro-Hamas protestors to “urgently reconsider.” About 1,000 football fans, including the group Football Lads Against Extremism, have said they plan to defend the Cenotaph Saturday, November 11. .UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowdenwill, condemning the impending pro-Hamas protest and attributing it to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, called an urgent Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting Tuesday to discuss how to handle the upcoming rally, which he called an “affront to the public.”Scotland Yard has informed police the pro-Hamas rally “does not meet the threshold” to be outlawed, Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said, as per the Daily Mail. “The laws created by Parliament are clear,” Rowley said. “There is no absolute power to ban protest, therefore there will be a protest this weekend. The law provides no mechanism to ban a static gathering of people." “It contains legislation which allows us to impose conditions to reduce disruption and the risk of violence and in the most extreme cases when no other tactics can work, for marches or moving protests to be banned,” he explained, adding these extreme cases are “incredibly rare” and saved for “real threats.”Rowley also said the pro-Hamas protestors will respect the Cenotaph and Armistice Day memorial services. The organizers have shown a “complete willingness to stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall and have no intention of disrupting the nation's remembrance events,” he said. “Should this change, we've been clear we will use powers and conditions available to us to protect locations and events of national importance at all costs.”Memorial services will still go forward but there will be security checks surrounding the landmark, Met police told Turning Point UK..Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan warned earlier in the week the threat of these types of protests is increasing. “The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing,” he said. “This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the event was “disrespectful” and Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned it will be a “hate march.”
London Metropolitan police will shut down the Cenotaph on Armistice Day (Remembrance Day) as officials anticipate 70,000 anti-Israel protesters to descend on the city. Instead, Met police asked the pro-Hamas protestors to “urgently reconsider.” About 1,000 football fans, including the group Football Lads Against Extremism, have said they plan to defend the Cenotaph Saturday, November 11. .UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowdenwill, condemning the impending pro-Hamas protest and attributing it to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, called an urgent Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) meeting Tuesday to discuss how to handle the upcoming rally, which he called an “affront to the public.”Scotland Yard has informed police the pro-Hamas rally “does not meet the threshold” to be outlawed, Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said, as per the Daily Mail. “The laws created by Parliament are clear,” Rowley said. “There is no absolute power to ban protest, therefore there will be a protest this weekend. The law provides no mechanism to ban a static gathering of people." “It contains legislation which allows us to impose conditions to reduce disruption and the risk of violence and in the most extreme cases when no other tactics can work, for marches or moving protests to be banned,” he explained, adding these extreme cases are “incredibly rare” and saved for “real threats.”Rowley also said the pro-Hamas protestors will respect the Cenotaph and Armistice Day memorial services. The organizers have shown a “complete willingness to stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall and have no intention of disrupting the nation's remembrance events,” he said. “Should this change, we've been clear we will use powers and conditions available to us to protect locations and events of national importance at all costs.”Memorial services will still go forward but there will be security checks surrounding the landmark, Met police told Turning Point UK..Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan warned earlier in the week the threat of these types of protests is increasing. “The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing,” he said. “This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital.”Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the event was “disrespectful” and Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned it will be a “hate march.”
