Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has urged pro-Palestinian groups to heed the call from the Metropolitan Police to postpone a demonstration planned for Armistice Day.
The Cabinet minister – and ally of the Prime Minister – also pointedly distanced himself from the Home Secretary’s language of “hate march” to describe the rallies that have been held in central London over recent weeks.
Organisers of Saturday’s demonstration have so far defied calls from the Met not to go ahead, amid anger among senior ministers, Conservative MPs and others over the decision to hold the event ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
The Met said senior officers had asked various groups behind the event to “urgently reconsider” and described the plans as “not appropriate” during a meeting on Monday.
But the coalition of groups, which includes Stop the War and the Muslim Association of Britain, insisted they would press ahead with the demonstration calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Mr Chalk told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a matter for the police and the police came out yesterday and they, of course, have to weigh up a number of competing considerations.
“Of course, there is the right to protest, which is important, but also concerns about public safety. Now, they have been very clear that having weighed all that up, their strong request is that these marches don’t take place and we support the police in that.
“We think that it’s wise advice. We think it takes account of all the competing considerations and that it should be followed.”
Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who leads public order policing in the English capital, said on Thursday: “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.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who welcomed the Met’s statement, said that “hate marchers need to understand that decent British people have had enough of these displays of thuggish intimidation and extremism”.
Mr Chalk made clear that he would not use the language of “hate marchers”, but insisted it did not signal “confusion” within Government.
“There is no doubt there are elements on these marches that I’m afraid are espousing hate … but equally there will be those people who are there expressing their anguish at some of the untold suffering.
“The concern must be whether those people who have perfectly legitimate intentions and concerns are directly or indirectly supporting those people who are espousing hate.”
“It’s not confusion. I think it’s an issue of semantics. The Home Secretary is absolutely correct when she says that there is hate on these marches.”
The organisers of the protest said they were “deeply concerned” by the Met statement.
They said the force could not provide “any evidence” for why the risk of breakaway groups engaging in criminal activity would be any greater.
The organisers added: “We recognise the political pressure being placed on the police by the Government and right-wing political groups.
“However, we emphasise that they had and have a responsibility to withstand that pressure and act to uphold democratic freedoms.
“We will be holding a protest on Saturday and we invite all people of conscience to join us in peacefully marching as planned.”
It’s not confusion. I think it’s an issue of semantics. The Home Secretary is absolutely correct when she says that there is hate on these marches— Alex Chalk
Israeli President Isaac Herzog told TalkTV the planned march was “atrocious”, adding: “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.
It comes as the Justice Secretary also suggested that the Government believes there are three British hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
He told Sky News: “We think there are three British hostages who are there.”
In terms of Britons still trapped in Gaza, he said that numbers were unclear but told the programme: “In terms of the numbers who have been allowed to leave, about 100 have been able to leave.”
The Foreign Office is continuing to work to get British citizens out through the Rafah crossing and into Egypt.
