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A day of remembrance unfortunately became a day of infamy on Saturday, after protesters marred the memory of war veterans by pushing their own agendas. The Met Police issued a statement last night, condemning the intimidating behaviour of protesters.
The Met were particularly critical of far-right hooligans, who displayed ‘extreme violence’ towards the police and ‘attacked officers’ who desperately tried to keep protesters and counter-protesters separated on such a poignant day.
Under immense pressure, law enforcement officials just about kept a lid on a powder-keg of tension. More than 100 arrests were made on Saturday, with a large majority of those apprehended coming from the far-right factions.
Chillingly, the Met Police expressed ‘deep concerns’ about the ‘intense debate regarding policing’ this week. A debate that was ignited by both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary, who both questioned the decision-making abilities of the local police force.
It’s also worth noting that far-right thugs left two police officers in need of hospital treatment, in cowardly attacks near the cenotaph:
“This operation took place… following a week of intense debate about protest and policing. These all combined to increase community tensions. The extreme violence from the right-wing protestors towards the police today was extraordinary and deeply concerning.”
“Abuse was directed at officers protecting the Cenotaph, including chants of ‘you’re not English any more’. This group were hooligans from across the UK and spent most of the day attacking or threatening officers who sought to prevent them from confronting the main march.”
“Nine officers were injured, with two requiring hospital treatment with a fractured elbow and a suspected dislocated hip. Those officers were injured on Whitehall as they prevented a violent crowd getting to the Cenotaph while a remembrance service was taking place.” | Met Police
However, appalling behaviour on one side does not excuse the actions of the other. Though thousands upon thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters kept things civil, a number of individuals committed ‘serious hate crime offences’ during their demonstrations.
The Met has vowed to investigate these incidents further, confirming that several arrests have already been made:
“While the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march did not see the sort of physical violence carried out by the right wing… at the end of their march, we once again saw breakaway groups behaving in an intimidating manner.
“Arrests were made after some of the fireworks struck officers in the face. There were also a number of serious offences identified in relation to hate crime and possible support for proscribed organisations during the protest that we are actively investigating.” | Met Police
