President Herzog of Israel also condemned plans to stage pro-Palestinian protests on Armistice Day…reports Asian Lite News
The Metropolitan Police have urged pro-Palestinian protest organisers not to hold demonstrations on Armistice Day or Remembrance Sunday.
Senior officers met organisers yesterday to raise fears that splinter groups would fuel disorder, with officers urging them to postpone the demonstration.
Objections have been raised to a pro-Palestinian march planned for Saturday, although it will not go near the Cenotaph.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who leads public order policing in the capital, said: “The risk of violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups is growing. This is of concern ahead of a significant and busy weekend in the capital.
“Our message to organisers is clear: please, we ask you to urgently reconsider. It is not appropriate to hold any protests in London this weekend.”
President Herzog of Israel also condemned plans to stage pro-Palestinian protests on Armistice Day.
In an interview with TalkTV, he said that Saturday’s march was “atrocious and hypocritical” and should be cancelled.
He told the Piers Morgan Uncensored show: “I call upon all decent human beings to object to the march and ban it, because the symbol of that day is a symbol of victory and it’s a symbol of doing good, because when you fight evil, sometimes you have to fight. You have to fight evil in order to uproot evil.”
He also criticised the Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who is a special envoy to the UN High Commission for Refugees, for accusing his country of being an “open air prison” and committing war crimes in its bombing of Gaza.
Asked about Jolie’s comments during the interview with Morgan, Herzog said, “I totally reject her claims. I think she’s never been in Gaza…. to visit and see the facts on the ground. Angelina Jolie does not offer the Israeli people any ability to defend themselves by saying what she’s saying. And Gaza is a jail not because of Israel… Gaza is an Iranian base filled with terror.”
Saturday’s protest will mark the fifth consecutive weekend of pro-Palestinian demonstrations since Israel was attacked by Hamas on October 7.
Amid concerns the demonstration could overshadow Remembrance events, Rishi Sunak said the police had ministers’ “absolute and total backing” to take action to stop the march causing disruption.
Claire Coutinho, the energy secretary, on Monday called on police to ban the pro-Palestinian protest altogether, saying “the culture of this country” would not accept disruption to Armistice Day.
However, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which is organising the protest, said it had changed the route of the march to ensure it does not clash with Armistice Day commemorations. It will set off from Hyde Park in central London and finish 2.5 miles away at the US embassy in Battersea.
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