Rishi Sunak has said he will hold the Met Police chief "accountable" over a pro-Palestinian march set to take place this Saturday, on Armistice Day.

The prime minister has criticised the timing of the demonstration in London as "provocative and disrespectful".

Organisers insist their march will not go near commemorations and accuse the government of manufacturing a row.

Protests have been held in London, and other cities globally, each Saturday since the Israel-Gaza war began.

Ben Jamal, of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign which is behind the march, said he believed the government was manufacturing a row and using the Armistice Day angle to try to "delegitimise" them.

"There's something particularly askew with an argument that says a protest calling for a ceasefire is somehow inappropriate on Armistice Day," he told the BBC.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has accused the police of being more lax on left-wing protests than those organised by nationalists or right-wing activists.

The home secretary has voiced her opposition to pro-Palestinian protests in the past, calling them "hate marches" in an interview with Sky News.

Protest organiser Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition, said: "We do everything we can as stewards to make sure there is nothing antisemitic or calling for violence in our demonstrations. For us, this isn't about religion, it isn't about race."

The demonstration on 11 November is due to begin at 12:45, more than an hour after the traditional two-minute silence.

  • lemmylommy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    13
    ·
    1 year ago

    And what will your sign read?

    • „Stop firing rockets at civilians and hospitals in Israel“
    • „release all hostages“
    • „stop using civilians as human shields“
    • „stop stealing fuel from hospitals“
    • „do not criminalize homosexuals“
    • „do not bake babies“
    • „don’t rape“
    • Unaware7013@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Funny how "quit bombing refugee camps and 'safe' passage ways" or "end the apartheid state that encourages Hamas violence" or "stop the Palestinian genocide" or "stop stealing land and homes" are missing from your list, as is "Israel should stop funding Hamas".

      Curuous that you don't seem to want to stop the causes, just the reactions to the decades of Israeli barbarity 🤔

    • 50gp@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      thousands of dead civilians including children missing from your list, curious

    • cman6@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      While I agree with all of those things, I can only choose one thing. The protest is to call for a ceasefire on Gaza, so my sign will reflect that.

      Out of interest, do you think Israel's response to the attack by Hamas is disproportionate?

      As of today:

      • approximately 10,000 fatalities in Palestine
      • approximately 1,200 fatalities in Israel

      source