A day to forget — not a police failure but a political one
What should have been a day of remembrance was marred by violence
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Narrated by The Sunday Times
It is a sad fact that Armistice Day, the annual commemoration of sacrifices made by British soldiers in the name of western freedom, was marked by abuses of that freedom. Ugly scenes broke out in central London yesterday as groups of far-right protesters brawled and clashed with the police. Meanwhile some pro-Palestinian protesters, having defied pleadings not to march, chanted antisemitic slogans and hounded the levelling-up secretary, Michael Gove. More than 100 people — mainly from the far-right mob — were arrested. The Metropolitan Police and supporting officers drafted in from around the country deserve praise for largely separating the two sides and preventing even worse violence. But the disorder was a worrying glimpse of what can happen when there is a gulf of political
