London– All attempts by the British Prime Minister failed Rishi Sonak And his Minister of the Interior Suella BravermanTo ban a demonstration demanding an end to the aggression against Gaza, which is planned for next Saturday. This is because it opposes the British Armistice Day, where the British observe a two-minute silence at 11 o’clock on November 11 every year.
The organizers of the planned demonstration did not announce any plans that would oppose the Armistice Day ceremony, but the metro networks announced the suspension of a number of lines leading to the place of the demonstration gathering, justifying the matter by saying that it was due to their maintenance.
For his part, the London Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, rejected pressure from the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to cancel the demonstration, saying that he did not find any dangers or warnings in it, and stressed his keenness on the freedom to demonstrate, which prompted Sunak to promise to hold him accountable.
Prime Minister’s comment
Sunak’s statements angered the demonstration organizers, and they confirmed that the march and the assembly points are far from the Whitehall area, where the memorial to soldiers from World War I and II is located, and visits are likely to be made to it. The march will begin on Saturday, while the annual church prayer service will be held on Sunday, indicating that there is no conflict over time or time. My place is between the demonstration and the Armistice Day commemoration.
Al Jazeera Net contacted the Prime Minister’s Media Office by phone, to clarify Sunak’s position, which described the demonstrations as disgraceful and disruptive to the elite commemoration of the dead British soldiers.
The office responded via email to Al Jazeera Net, “The London police themselves spoke about special perceptions of protests separate from the main organizers who attend the marches, and that we cannot trust that all individuals in the march will act responsibly, and that this matter is up for discussion.”
The office added, “This is a very important time for the people of the United Kingdom, and it is a poignant weekend of remembrance, as people from all over the country come together and plan a march to coincide with this gathering, and based on what happened in previous marches, there are implications for incidents that express hatred and racism, which is “What we witnessed last week was a number of arrests, which is provocative and disrespectful.”
Demands for the dismissal of the Minister of Interior
These statements come after demands from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior to ban demonstrations in support of Palestine, under the pretext that they incite hatred, anti-Semitism or support for terrorism. Ignoring the aggression against Gaza and the tragedies it left behind and the metaphors that arouse the feelings of the Muslim community and others.
For his part, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – who shares the duties of monitoring the Metropolitan Police with the Minister of the Interior and the Prime Minister – stressed in a statement to the newspapers, “It is not the right of any politician, whether the Mayor of London, the Minister of the Interior, or even the Prime Minister, to tell the police which demonstration should be allowed or not.” Prevent her…”
In a related context, Clive Baldwin, legal advisor to Human Rights Watch, London office, commented to Al Jazeera Net on Braverman’s complete neglect of referring to the Muslim community and its feelings, but rather criticizing their right to demonstrate with sharp and harsh words and her random accusations of the demonstrators of supporting terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Baldwin explained that all this cruelty in expression entails a restriction of “freedom of expression” and that it will remain legal unless the British institutions enforcing the law are influenced by these statements and are biased in applying the law as this political discourse is biased.
He stressed the need for balance in dealing with populist discourses or what is circulated on social media, so as not to open the door wide to the Jewish community and impose restrictions on the Muslim community.
The police explain
Al Jazeera Net contacted the police media office, which refused to comment on the Prime Minister’s decision to hold him responsible, but the media office explained – to Al Jazeera Net – that the law must resolve the dispute, as the capital police alone, without the Council of Ministers, has the right to request a ban on popular demonstrations and crowds in accordance with Article (13) of Public Order Act 1986, while this law requires documented intelligence of the risk of serious public disorder.
In the same context, London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley commented that the public police service will make every effort to ensure the safety of activities celebrating the anniversary of the Armistice in London over the weekend, and stressed the police’s commitment to enforcing British law that allows freedom of protest, noting that the decision to ban the demonstration requires… A real threat of riots.
Metro closure
Despite police assurances, the London Transport Authority announced the closure of the metro lines leading to the demonstration meeting point, which surprised the organizers of the demonstration and may affect the participation of many in it.
However, the organizers of the demonstration and the participants announced their intention to proceed, despite this restriction as well.
The London Transport Authority commented to Al Jazeera Net that the closure was “pre-planned due to engineering repairs.” The authority’s official spokesman apologized for any disruption that these planned works might cause, and that there will be attempts to replace buses.
