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The Home Secretary has warned that there will be serious consequences for protesters who try to vandalise the Cenotaph.
A major pro-Palestine protest is planned for Armistice Day on Saturday (November 11) with tens of thousands likely to take to the streets.
While organisers say they will avoid the Whitehall area – where the Cenotaph war memorial is located – there are fears the march could disrupt the planned two minute silence and the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Suella Braverman said Armistice Day should be treated with the ‘solemnity with which it deserves’, and added she ‘won’t hesitate to act’ if police need stronger powers to deal with what she describes as ‘utterly odious’ behaviour at demonstrations.
The Metropolitan Police arrested 29 people at a pro-Palestine march on Saturday, and Ms Braverman says some elements of the protests have turned into ‘hate marches’.
When asked what action should be taken if the Cenotaph was targeted, she said: ‘Armistice Day is a day that is of profound national significance in Britain, it represents our moment of collective mourning and remembrance and reverence.
‘And it must be treated with the solemnity with which it deserves.
‘If anyone were to vandalise the Cenotaph, they must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground.’
Mounted police guarded the Cenotaph on Saturday (Picture: Burak Bir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Suella Braverman has promised serious consequences for anyone who vandalises the Cenotaph (Picture: PA)
A number of pro-Palestine protests have been held in the area close to the Cenotaph (Picture: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Previously, prime minister Rishi Sunak said protests on Armistice Day would be ‘provocative and disrespectful’ and that there is a ‘clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated’.
Ms Braverman also said any decision to ban pro-Palestine marches on Armistice Day must be assessed by police before an application to her is made.
She added: ‘It has got to be based on their assessment and their belief that there is a risk of serious disorder.
‘What we’ve seen in the last few weeks is tens of thousands of people taking to the streets of Britain chanting jihad, calling for the erasure of Israel and behaving in many instances in a flagrantly antisemitic manner.
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‘To me, those are incredibly offensive and it is utterly odious behaviour.’
The Met says officers will deployed across London over the weekend as part of a ‘significant policing and security operation’.
Currently there aren’t any plans for protest groups to march on Remembrance Sunday, but a significant demonstration is expected on the Saturday, LBC reported.
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A major pro-Palestine protest is planned for Armistice Day on Saturday (November 11) with tens of thousands likely to take to the streets.