Fighting reported as people try to reach the Cenotaph

A large crowd with St George’s Crosses are said to be walking towards the war memorial after police attempted to stop them.

Members of this group were able to push through police lines with some apparently shouting “Let’s have them” before officers took out their batons.

The group appears to have reached Whitehall where the Cenotaph is located.

This will be a busy weekend for policing in London.

Officers’ priority is to keep everyone safe, whether they are paying their respects for remembrance or protesting.

Our policing plan extends across London, but there will be a particular focus on Whitehall and the Cenotaph. pic.twitter.com/sItdc5Ff8N

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 10, 2023

Former EDL co-leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon calls on supporters to mass in London

Previously, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the former co-leader of the English Defence League called on his supporters to mass around the capital.

This comes as thousands of people attend a protest calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This is expected to be one of the largest British protests in the past two decades with a major police operation underway.

While the two minutes’ silence was marked respectfully and without incident on Whitehall, officers have faced aggression from counter protestors who are in the area in significant numbers.

The counter protestors are not one cohesive group. There are different groups moving away…

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) November 11, 2023

This also coincides with Armistice Day which is centred around the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

The Palestinian march has attracted criticism from Prime Minister Rushi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman because of its chosen date.

Some 2000 Met Police officers have been put on duty today to ensure both events run safely.

This comes after Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley resisted pressure from senior Tories to ban the demonstration in the capital, prompting Home Secretary Suella Braverman to write an article for the Times which made allegations of police bias over the protests.