Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson, has urged Palestinian and Israeli protesters to set aside their placards for this Sunday’s Remembrance Day service.
Fears have been rife that protesters could target the Cenotaph in Westminster, a monument to soldiers killed in the First World War, with similar protests having occurred around the monument in previous weeks.
According to counter-terrorism police data, the number of calls to the UK’s anti-terror hotline between October 7th and October 25th being double what it was for the same period last year.
Lee joined Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner on Britain’s Newsroom, to discuss the potential disruption this Sunday.
Lee Anderson appears on Britain's Newsroom with Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner.
GB News
Beverley opened the conversation, saying: “If we have free speech and the freedom to protest, we also must prepare to be offended.”
Lee replied, “It's OK to offend people. We live in a free society. But there are 365 days in a year, you know, we save one day for our glorious dead.
“Now if these people have got any sort of dignity or respect or respect to our history, our values, our culture, then maybe just for one day they could leave it alone. We've had about 3 or 4 demonstrations already over the past couple of weeks.
“Some of my constituents think they're being baited by by people of a particular political persuasion. I've seen it personally on on Whitehall, the Palestinian demonstrations where they're shouting all sorts of horrible stuff, inciting hatred.
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The Cenotaph as pro-Palestine protesters verbally clash with Union flag waversGBN“Like I say for one day when, you know, when we put our poppies on, we go out and remember our grandparents and their generation, they can't just leave it for one day. That's shocking.
“I believe in free speech. I believe in a free society. I believe in people's right to demonstrate. I wouldn't demonstrate on Armistice Day. But like I say we've got big parks in London. We've got Regents Park. We've got Hyde Park. Come on there with your flags and go away.”
Bev chimed back in, saying: “Do you know what saddens me, Lee, when I see this? To think that this sort of division is here on the streets of the UK, which has been imported from the Middle East. As much as I defend their right to have these protests, it does make me sad that we've got to this place.”
Concerns have only grown over the proceedings on Sunday at the Cenotaph, annually attended by royalty and the country’s most prominent politicians, after Rochdale Cenotaph was today graffitied leaving police to guard the monument.
Police are guarding Rochdale Cenotaph after being vandalised with 'free Palestine' graffiti amid a spate of 'unacceptable' attacksGB NewsBev also asked, “What bigger lessons do you think can be learned off the back of this?”
Lee replied: “I think we need to clamp down a little bit harder. But we've sort of been festering away, this has, for a long, long time.
“And you know, I've been to Israel. I went last year with the Conservative friends of Israel and I saw first hand the problems they've got and how tolerant the Israeli nation are, they're very tolerant of their neighbours.
“And you know, Hamas, they don't want a solution. Well, their solution is to get rid of Israel, whereas Israel are quite prepared to sit around the table and discuss a solution - a two state solution or whatever it is. But when you're dealing with an enemy that doesn't want a solution, only their solution, then it becomes incredibly difficult.”
