| | | 08/11/2023 Wednesday briefing: Should a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day be banned? | | | | Archie Bland |  |
| | | Good morning. Claims that a pro-Palestine march planned in London for Armistice Day this weekend poses a threat to the Cenotaph just won’t go away. Yesterday, the justice secretary, Alex Chalk, said that even those with no malicious intent risked supporting extremists at “an extremely important time in our calendar”, and called for the march to be postponed. “The police must stop any odious behaviour at the Cenotaph,” the Conservative MP James Sunderland said. “But far better for the government to ensure that no protest goes near it in the first place.” Sunderland’s demand may be perplexing to the protesters: the march on Saturday is intended to run from Hyde Park to the US embassy, nowhere near the war memorial in Whitehall. Even so, the government has been pressing the police to apply for a ban on the protest, which the home secretary, Suella Braverman, has described as a “hate march”. (Her Labour counterpart Yvette Cooper declined to say whether she thought a march should be banned yesterday; now a shadow minister, Imran Hussain, has resigned from the front bench in order to advocate for a ceasefire.) Last night, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said that the threshold for a ban had not been met. But he is likely to come under significant pressure to change his mind in the next few days. With no march this big having ever been banned before, that would be an extraordinary development. So why is Rowley reluctant – and what is the evidence for the claim that the protests are extremist in nature? Today’s newsletter takes you through what we know. Here are the headlines. | | | | Five big stories | 1 | Israel-Hamas war | Israeli forces are “in the heart of Gaza City”, Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said, as Palestinian families waving white flags streamed away from the capital on Tuesday. Meanwhile, after Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would take indefinite “security responsibility” for the territory, the White House said that it would oppose any reoccupation of Gaza. For the latest, head to the live blog. | 2 | Fossil fuels | The world’s fossil fuel producers are planning expansions that would blow the planet’s carbon budget twice over, a UN report has found. Petrostates’ plans would lead to 460% more coal production, 83% more gas, and 29% more oil in 2030 than would be possible under the internationally agreed 1.5C target, the report said. | 3 | Vaping | UK ministers are considering a new tax on vapes in a significant expansion of moves to create a “smoke-free generation” that also includes the gradual introduction of a total ban on smoking for children. The move to tax vapes was one of the few surprise measures in a king’s speech that appeared largely designed to create dividing lines with Labour. Read a summary of measures in the bill. | 4 | Covid inquiry | The government body set up to coordinate Covid policy had no warning about Rishi Sunak’s “eat out to help out” scheme and felt “blindsided” by the Treasury over it, the inquiry into the pandemic has been told. | 5 | |
| | | | In depth: ‘Being horrified by what’s happening in Gaza is not a fringe position’ | | Every Saturday since the 7 October attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 Israelis, pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in London and around the UK to voice their opposition to the devastating impact of Israel’s response on Palestinian civilians, thousands of whom have died. At the biggest of these rallies, organisers estimated that half a million people attended; police put the figure at 70,000. But the most urgent disagreement has been over the nature of the demonstrations: whether they have been violent, intimidating, or driven by antisemitism. Many media reports on the protests have accused marchers of condoning Hamas’s horrific attack, and pointed to incidents of racism or violence. And in the context of a huge spike in reported antisemitic incidents since 7 October, some British Jews have said that they find the marches intimidating. But that is not a monolithic view, and leftwing Jewish groups like Na’amod are among those marching. More generally, those who have joined the marches say they have been peaceful, with a clear focus on the demand for protection for ordinary Palestinians. Asked about Suella Braverman’s “hate marches” comment, Sir Mark Rowley said: “I wouldn’t use one phrase to characterise 100,000 people”. “Of course, there are occasionally people who say something outrageous,” one activist who has marched twice told me. “But that’s been true on every march I’ve ever been on, for any cause – that’s the nature of a mass political event – and there is no sense that it’s being condoned. The anxiety about how this is being represented is making people angry, but it’s also making them very focused on rooting that kind of stuff out. Being horrified by what’s happening in Gaza is not a fringe position, and it’s not antisemitic.” All of this is likely to come to a head on Saturday, when the weekly march coincides with Armistice Day.
Why is the next march so contentious? As any witness to the annual British poppy paroxysm knows, Armistice Day – 11 November – is a deeply sensitive moment in the UK. Critics of the marchers claim that a pro-Palestine protest that coincides with the commemoration of the end of the first world war is a deliberately provocative act, presumably seeing a peace rally as disrespectful of the military: Suella Braverman has suggested the timing will “give offence to millions of decent British people”. Organisers counter that the timing is coincidental, that a march calling for a ceasefire can hardly be said to run against the spirit of remembrance events, and that the march is due to start two hours after the 11am two-minute silence, with remembrance commemorations largely happening the following day. They note that the planned route for the march does not run past the Cenotaph; the police claim there is a risk of “violence and disorder linked to breakaway groups” and that no protest is “appropriate” this weekend. Besides the specific claims, there is a less tangible sense that the marches have become a focal point for some of the same culture wars that have long attached themselves to Armistice Day and, for instance, whether it is acceptable not to wear a poppy. In the Sun, the rightwing political scientist Matthew Goodwin was pretty explicit: he wrote about a picture showing “three bewildered poppy sellers surrounded by hordes of pro-Palestinian protesters”. The image, he said, represents a clash between “a calm, dignified, patriotic and older Britain” and “a new, younger, radical, far more diverse Britain”, and claimed that a nebulous “cultural inheritance” was being undermined by “radical Islamism”.
What evidence is there for the ‘hate marches’ claim? | | If Suella Braverman (above in 2022) needs a demonstration that the views of an extreme minority are not always met by the support of the group they have attached themselves to, she might look to the cabinet, where Rishi Sunak and other ministers have carefully backed away from her “hate marches” claim since she made it last week. A more concrete measure might be an examination of the arrests on the pro-Palestine marches so far. While police powers around protest have been significantly strengthened in recent years, the number of arrests appears in line with what you might expect at a protest about such an emotive subject: there have been 160 at London events, the Met said, which – if it refers to the four days of action organised under the banner of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign – works out at 40 arrests at each. Nor does an arrest necessarily mean racist behaviour or threats to the wider public: while two of the five charges that resulted from the biggest march were for racially aggravated offences and another was for assaulting a police officer, another related to verbal abuse of police, and the fifth involved throwing a beer can at a protester. Anindya Bhattacharyya, an activist and veteran of protests going back to the Iraq war who has been working with the Free Palestine Coalition, said he had seen a much more focused intent among those marching than in previous years. “People are incredibly on message and ideologically disciplined in a way that mass movements frequently aren’t,” he said. “There is a sense that you need to be precise – that we aren’t just here to scream and shout at the government – we’re here to build a wave of solidarity for Palestinians.” Those who broke with that approach, he said, were isolated. “If we see kids with slogans that are wrong, it’s our job to reach those kids and explain why. And there are those people who are antisemitic, but when they realise that’s not what this is about, in my experience they slink off and don’t come back, because that’s all they’re interested in.”
So could Saturday’s march still be banned? In a statement setting out his reasons for letting the march go ahead, Rowley poured cold water on the more serious claims about the march. “The organisers have shown complete willingness to stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall and have no intention of disrupting the nation’s remembrance events,” he noted. And, pointing out that it is “incredibly rare” for the power to ban marches to be used – the last time was over a set of English Defence League events in 2012 – Rowley said that “at this time, the intelligence surrounding the potential for serious disorder this weekend does not meet the threshold to apply for a ban”. But “at this time” is important. This morning’s headlines – like “Pray they don’t end up with a riot at the Cenotaph” in the Daily Mail – suggest that pressure is likely to continue to come from the right over the next few days, and Rowley has specifically reserved the right to change his mind “if the intelligence evolves”. The question is whether, if the Met does eventually make that call, it will do anything to reduce the numbers of people who attend, or simply set up a more confrontational situation on the ground. Rowley also noted that there he does not have the power to prevent a static protest: all he can do is stop them marching. If Saturday’s event becomes a test of the demonstrators’ determination to oppose the government as well as Israel’s actions in Gaza, the kind of tensions that Braverman says she is concerned about seem only likely to grow. Meanwhile, Tommy Robinson, the EDL leader, has tweeted: “Saturday 11/11/11 London, your country needs you”. The likes of Robinson don’t need the home secretary’s help in stoking up hatred, but there will be those who feel that she has made his mission easier among the police and protesters alike. | | | | | What else we’ve been reading | | Fast fashion garment workers in Bangladesh are protesting over their government’s decision to increase the minimum wage from the equivalent of £60-£92 a month. Reporting from Dhaka, the Guardian spoke with workers (above) who say this wage is not enough amid the poverty and high cost of living. Nyima Jobe, newsletters team Sam Hallam’s life descended into chaos when he was wrongfully jailed at 17. Seven years after his conviction, basic police checks that were not conducted initially determined he was not at the scene of the crime. Simon Hattenstone spoke with him about that tumultuous time in his life and why he is still fighting for justice today. Nimo Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries’ book The Plot will be published tomorrow. Marina Hyde says it may have some unproven statements but the book will definitely be “hilariously mad” and possibly expose the leaders of the Conservative government as a bunch of shadowy figures, AKA “the movement”. Nyima I’ve always wondered what drives people to take part in chilli-eating competitions – it seems like a needless act of self-destruction. Tim Dowling finds out why anyone wants to put themselves through abdominal cramps and other gut-related problems. Nimo Gen Z are, according to some, sick of sex scenes in television and film – Aneesa Ahmed finds out where this aversion has come from. Nimo
| | | | Sport | | | | | | The front pages | | “Defiant Met chief rejects ministers’ calls to ban pro-Palestinian march” is our Guardian splash this morning. “Pray they don’t end up with a riot at the Cenotaph” – that’s the Daily Mail,while the Times has “Police resist calls to ban march”. The Daily Telegraph carries a report of one battle on the frontline in Gaza – “Hamas fighters’ last stand at hospital”. The i’s lifestyle choice is“Braverman split with No 10 on tents – as Tories accuse her of leadership bid”. “The Kingzzz speech” – the Metro wasn’t impressed with “Charles’s state debut”. The Daily Express senses a threat to its Brexit Utopia: “Sunak accuses Starmer of plot to lock UK in EU deal”. Top story in the Financial Times is “Accounting watchdog scraps plans for full-scale overhaul of boardroom rules”. “Oops! Britney sister to tell all in jungle” – that’s the Daily Mirror’s tangent today. | | | | | Today in Focus | | Fear and fury in the West Bank Palestinians in the West Bank say that while all the attention is on Gaza, Israeli settlers overseen by the military are killing people and forcing them from the land. Julian Borger reports | | | | | Cartoon of the day | Martin Rowson | | | | | The Upside | A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad | | A surprise public holiday has been declared in Kenya for citizens to plant trees, with the goal being to plant 15bn by 2032. The 13 November event has been created to raise awareness about the devastating effects of the climate crisis. Kenya especially has suffered with rainfall failing for five seasons. King Charles kicked off the new tradition on his state visit last week when he planted trees at the state house in Nairobi and Karura forest. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday | | | | Bored at work? | And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow. | | | | | | Polly Toynbee | | Guardian columnist |
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| | On Thursday 23 November, I’ll be joined by fellow Guardian journalists and experts for an online Guardian Live event delving into the messy legacy of Brexit.
It’s been three years since the United Kingdom left the European Union – and all UK voters are left with is a bitter taste of Bregret from constant U-turns, bureaucratic headaches, NHS staff shortages, and endless lorry queues. The 2024 general election will be the first post-Brexit election but will any of the major political parties fully acknowledge the negative impacts of our exit from the EU? Will a new government mend relations with the EU or simply continue with the current chaos?
I’ll be dissecting all of this with Heather Stewart, the Guardian’s special correspondent, Rafael Behr, fellow Guardian columnist, and Anand Menon, the director of the UK in a Changing Europe.
Tickets are available here.
I hope you can join us. | | |
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