The Royal British Legion has defended pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ right to protest amid a furious row over whether a rally should be allowed to go ahead on Armistice Day.
The RBL has urged protestors to be peaceful and show respect as mourners flock to London this weekend to remember our war dead.
In a statement, the armed forces charity said: “The British armed forces play a vital role in protecting the rights and freedoms of everyone in UK society, including the right to protest.
“We are not aware of any protests during RBL Remembrance events, and we hope events can go ahead over the weekend without disruption.”
Their words come as the Metropolitan Police is preparing for a vast policing operation over Remembrance weekend, with up to 100,000 people expected to join a pro-Palestine march on Saturday.
There are fears of clashes with far-right groups who have vowed to “defend” the Cenotaph after a week-long row erupted over whether the “disrespectful” rally should be banned.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has resisted pressure from Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman to block the event, insisting the risk of disruption does not meet the legal threshold to halt the march.
The coalition of groups, which includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Stop the War and the Muslim Association of Britain, will march from Hyde Park at midday on Saturday – about a mile from the war memorial in Whitehall – to the US embassy in Vauxhall, south of the Thames. The event begins an hour after two-minute silence is observed at 11am.
The RBL hosts the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, which is attended by the King and Queen, on Saturday.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer at last year’s National Service Of Remembrance at The Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday
(Getty Images)
There are no demonstrations planned for Sunday, when the RBL will join hundreds of service men and women, members of the royal family and politicians for The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.
The National Police Chiefs Council has revealed London’s police force will be bolstered by a total of 1,000 extra officers across the weekend, with reinforcements working on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Exclusion zones and facial recognition technology could also deployed as the Metropolitan Police vows to use every power at its disposal to stop commemorations from being disrupted.
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