LONDON — King Charles III on Sunday led a nationwide memorial service honoring those that died serving the United Kingdom — an occasion that handed with out incident regardless of fears that tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas struggle may disrupt the ceremony.
London’s Metropolitan Police Service deployed greater than double the standard variety of officers to safeguard the occasion and put a 24-hour guard across the nationwide struggle memorial, generally known as the Cenotaph, to make sure it wasn’t defaced.
The annual service, throughout which 1000’s of veterans paraded previous the Cenotaph, got here after per week of debate over calls to cancel a large pro-Palestinian march on Saturday out of respect for the weekend’s memorial occasions. Whereas the march was largely peaceable, police clashed with far-right counter-protesters who tried to disrupt it.
Police on Saturday arrested about 120 folks. They described them as principally soccer “hooligans” from across the U.Okay. who spent the day confronting officers attempting to maintain them away from the march. 9 officers have been injured, together with two who have been hospitalized.
“Latest occasions have served as a stark reminder that we can’t take the hard-earned peace we dwell in with no consideration, which is why I’m honored to put a wreath on behalf of the nation within the reminiscence of all those who have misplaced their lives defending our nation and the values we maintain so shut,’’ Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mentioned in a ready assertion. “I’m decided to make sure we always remember the last word sacrifice they’ve made.”
Sunak is going through calls to fireplace Residence Secretary Suella Braverman, probably the most senior members of his Cupboard, after she was accused of inflaming tensions along with her feedback concerning the pro-Palestinian march. Braverman final week urged police had been extra lenient with current pro-Palestinian protests, which she described as “hate marches,” than with demonstrations favoring right-wing causes.
Sunday’s ceremony, a central occasion on the nationwide calendar, handed with out incident.
The king, sporting the uniform of the Marshal of the Royal Air Pressure, together with a gray greatcoat in opposition to the chilly, laid a wreath that includes 41 open-style cloth poppies. The flowers are Britain’s conventional image of remembrance, recalling the poppies made well-known by the poem “In Flanders Fields” throughout World Warfare I.
The Prince of Wales, who wore the officer’s cloak of The Blues and Royals within the rank of lieutenant colonel, additionally laid a wreath, as did different members of the family.
Quickly after, some 10,000 veterans and 800 serving members of the navy marched previous the Cenotaph to honor their fallen comrades. The veterans, some greater than 100 years {old}, paraded down the street resulting in the Homes of Parliament earlier than laying their very own wreaths on the foot of the memorial.