Britain has openly said that it supports Israel after the Hamas launched its surprise attack on October 7. In retaliation, Israel has bombed the enclave daily since, killing more than 9,000 Palestinians.
The war environment in Palestine has triggered tens of thousands of pro-Palestinians to march through central London every Saturday demanding the British government call for a ceasefire.
London’s Metropolitan Police has said pro-Palestinians intend to hold a “significant demonstration” on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War One, but have no plans to protest on November 12, when formal Remembrance Sunday events are held.
Previous pro-Palestinian demonstrations have passed through the government district of Whitehall, where the Cenotaph war memorial is situated.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Sunak posted a statement that read, ” To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for.”
“The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected. I have asked the Home Secretary to support the Met Police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday,” it added.
The Met has said it would have a “significant policing and security operation” across the November 11-12 weekend and would “use all the powers available to us to ensure anyone intent on disrupting it will not succeed”.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has said it is willing to avoid the Whitehall area, the Met added.
“We have already been in positive dialogue with PSC,” Met Police Commander Karen Findlay told reporters on Friday, adding, “They have already expressed that they have no intention to disrupt remembrance events.”
(With inputs from Reuters)