London’s Metropolitan Police have been accused yet again of applying different standards to protests based on their political affiliation as dozens of so-called “far right” demonstrators were arrested to “prevent a breach of the peace” as they attempted to pay their respects to the Cenotaph war memorial on Armistice Day.
As Britons from across the country came down to London on Saturday to honour the nation’s fallen soldiers, the Metropolitan Police permitted another large-scale anti-Israel demonstration to take place, despite many, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak describing the march as deeply disrespectful to military veterans and the soldiers who gave their lives in service of the country.
A much smaller band of supposed “counter-protesters”, including former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, came to the city vowing to protect war memorials such as the Cenotaph from vandalism.
Video footage of minor scuffles with police was widely circulated by leftist social media accounts and establishment media as evidence of the threat of the “far-right”. The police also claimed that counter-protesters hurled projectiles at officers.
People on the ground at the protest claimed that such scuffles were initiated by the Police, however, who attempted to block the people from paying their respects at the Cenotaph.
While police arrested one person for an assault on an officer and another for possession of drugs, the demonstration was largely peaceful and even featured two minutes of silence for the nation’s fallen soldiers.
Yet, as the pro-Palestine protest began, the Met used its recently acquired and wide-ranging powers to arrest some of the “counter-protesters” before they had even committed a crime.
“Officers have arrested 82 people in Tachbrook Street, Pimlico to prevent a breach of the peace. They’re part of a large group of counter-protestors we have been monitoring who have tried to reach the main protest march,” the Met said in a statement.
“We will continue to take action to avoid the disorder that would likely take place if that happened.”
Crowd chanting “You let your country down” at the police as tensions escalate pic.twitter.com/YnE8NmlrqJ
— Inc.Monocle (@IncMonocle) November 11, 2023
Many on social media maligned the police force for its tough crackdown on the patriot protest while previously taking a soft touch on pro-Palestine protests.
Liberal comedian and political commentator Konstantin Kissin said: “And just like that, the police have no problem arresting large groups to prevent a breach of the peace. [Home Secretary] Suella [Braverman] was right. Two-tiered policing.”
“It’s astonishing how fast you learned how to police protests when they’re no longer politically correct,” GB News presenter Darren Grimes added.
Meanwhile, the pro-Palestine protest, the fifth major demonstration in London since the October 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel, once again featured anti-semitic chants placards, including signs featuring swastikas and comparing Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza to the Holocaust.
Chants of “From the river to the sea” — a genocidal war cry calling for the total destruction of Israel and its people — were once again recorded on the streets of London. Some of the protesters were even filmed wearing Hamas-style headbands.
The London Police force has faced intense criticism, including from Home Secretary Suella Braverman, for taking a light approach to the anti-Israel protests over the past month.
Even people publicly calling for “Jihad” at demos in London were excused by the police force, who said that “the word jihad has a number of meanings“.
There have been no arrests at the pro-Palestine march announced so far by the police at the time of this reporting.