Perhaps Suella Braverman had a point about dangerous protesters lining the streets of London this weekend – even if it applies to the people she has ended up successfully dog-whistling. Far-right groups have marred Remembrance events in London, after clashing with police near the cenotaph.
Two people have been arrested so far, with both in possession of weapons including a knife and a baton.
‘National disgrace’ – far-right protesters disrupt Remembrance Day
Video footage emerged online earlier, showing groups of thugs – aligned with right-wing groups and causes – getting into scuffles with law enforcement, just moments before the two minutes silence for our war heroes was observed.
The violence comes after a fractious week of rhetoric compelled counter-protesters to flock to London, in response to pro-Palestine demonstrations. The Home Secretary has labelled this event as a “hate march”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also joined in, initially trying to pressure the Met Police to ban the protests, before eventually softening his stance. However, according to a statement from The Met, it appears the damage has been done.
Met Police bemoan ‘counter-protesters’ violence in London
They confirmed earlier today that “counter-protesters” showed aggression towards police officers trying to maintain order on the streets. They also suspect that far-right demonstrators are planning to disrupt the protests for a ceasefire later in the day:
“While the two minutes’ silence was marked respectfully and without incident on Whitehall, officers have faced aggression from counter protestors who are in the area in significant numbers.“
The counter protestors are not one cohesive group. There are different groups moving away from Whitehall towards other parts of central London. Officers are keeping track of them as they do.”
“If their intention is to confront the main protest departing later today from Park Lane, we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening.” | Met Police
On Twitter, the Met Police further stated that missiles were thrown at them by hostile members of the crowd, and have vowed to take a “zero tolerance” approach to disturbances arising throughout the day.
“A group of counter protestors who left Whitehall and moved into Chinatown confronted and threw missiles at officers who tried to engage with them.”
“Additional officers have been deployed to the area to identify, locate and deal with those involved. Our priority is keeping the public safe. We will not tolerate disorder in central London today.” | Met Police