Protest held in central London to protect war memorial

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A group of protesters in London gathered Saturday near the Cenotaph war memorial in Whitehall, following a row about removing flags and claims related to pro-Palestinian rallies.

They arrived in the area just before the beginning of a massive pro-Palestinian protest at Trafalgar Square – a 10-minute walk from the memorial.

Carrying British and England flags and held banners that read: "Have some respect for British heroes," and "Leave our statues alone."

It came after social media posts said that the memorial was "stripped of flags" and surrounded by barriers.

Metropolitan Police wrote on X that every year, as part of preparations for Armistice Weekend, they are removed and cleaned.

The flags will soon be returned, it added.

But social media posts said the group came to "protect the memorial" from pro-Palestinian protesters.

On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the planned Nov. 11 pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Armistice Day, "provocative and disrespectful."

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said it is "entirely unacceptable to desecrate Armistice Day," with which she defined "a hate march" through London, as she quoted the prime minister.

Following the remarks by the UK officials, organizers of the pro-Palestine rallies issued a joint statement that warned: "Such statements are encouraging the calls from far-rights activists and commentators who appear to be inciting action on the streets to stop the protests taking place and are deeply irresponsible.”