A Tory MP has warned that a “million strong” Palestinian march will be held on Remembrance Sunday where there will be thousands of former serving soldiers and current serving in London.
The Tory MP has said he has no confidence in the Metropolitan Police nor the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the together could be catastrophic as with more than 20,000 highly trained former members of the Armed Forces who have served in countless conflicts, this might not end well.
The Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has warned that they will not be able to properly police parts of London and he “is deeply concerned.”
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign have said that they will be protesting in response to Israels bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
People from Dewsbury, Bately and Leicester will be by the coach load heading to London on 11 November, which is memorial day, and this will make it “the biggest march in history.”
The Metropolitan Police chief has vowed that the protesters “will not be allowed near to the official events to disrupt them,” but non the less the police are ill equipped to deal with the vast numbers of ex British forces.
Sir Mark said, “I am deeply concerned about the effect that has on day-to-day local policing and the balance of that across London.
“Clearly we cannot let these protests get out of hand but it is creating significant stretch.”
Crawley MP Henry Smith said in a warning to the Express, “After consecutive weekends of demonstrations where the Cenotaph and other national monuments have been grossly disrespected, it’s completely inappropriate for further protests to be held over Remembrance weekend.
“I don’t have confidence in the Mayor of London or Metropolitan Police under him to properly handle the situation given their past poor record, and call on the Government to consider deploying military assistance.”
Smith added, “The fact that this even needs considering is a sad reflection on the ability so far to appropriately police what have been some appalling scenes.”
Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for Mayor of London, told the Express the planned Palestinian protest will be “very disruptive to the Remembrance Sunday commemoration.”
She said, “Sadiq Khan needs to get a grip and start taking responsibility for keeping Londoners safe. These protests have already caused a great deal of anxiety, especially amongst the Jewish community, and will likely be very disruptive to the Remembrance Sunday commemoration.
“It is vital that the police have the resources and political backing they need to do their jobs, and when I am Mayor, I will ensure they always do.”
