'Disturbing Cenotaph violence was direct result of Suella Braverman's behaviour'

11 November 2023 , 19:29

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Far-right Tommy Robinson led his followers to the Cenotaph (Image: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

It was deeply disturbing to see the scenes of unacceptable aggression and disorder from the far right near the Cenotaph and in parts of central London yesterday.

Just minutes before a moment of national silence to remember all those who have lost their lives while serving our country, we saw far-right thugs attacking the police. Sadly, these scenes were predictable after a week of efforts from some to stoke tensions and cause unrest.

Emotions have understandably been running high because of the events in the Middle East, and what we needed last week was for everyone to play their part in calming the situation and to work with the police do their job.

Instead, we saw Suella Braverman, who holds one of the great offices of state, doing the complete opposite - with the Prime Minister sheltering behind her. There can be no doubt that the scenes we witnessed yesterday involving the far right were a direct result of the Home Secretary’s words and behaviour. If she had any honour she would resign - and if not, Rishi Sunak should sack her. If he doesn’t, he’s either too weak to do so or he agrees with her.

The far right have clearly been encouraged and emboldened. This includes amplifying misleading fake audio purporting to be of me that rapidly spread across social media with no control. The Met have my full support in taking the action they did against those who broke the law yesterday, and I continue to support them in taking a zero-tolerance approach against anyone found spreading hate.

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The vast majority of the over 300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters estimated to have marched were peaceful, but the police also had to deal with completely unacceptable behaviour from some, including antisemitism. This will simply not be tolerated in our capital. London’s greatest strength is our diversity and we must continue to celebrate it. We need to stand together to reject hateful narratives and to be united in our compassion for one another.

Sadiq Khan