King Charles and PM Rishi Sunak lead remembrance services after day of protests

The king, Sunak, MPs and royal family members held a two-minute silence and laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in London to honour those killed in war

On Saturday, 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in London. Police made more than 120 arrests as counterprotesters tried to ambush the rally

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Britain’s King Charles attends the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London on Sunday. Photo:AFP

Published: 12:57am, 13 Nov 2023

King Charles and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak led Britain in remembering the country’s war dead on Sunday, seeking to unify communities a day after a large pro-Palestinian march was marked by skirmishes between far-right counterprotesters and police.

At a solemn ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial on Whitehall in central London, the king, Sunak, other politicians and senior members of the royal family held a two-minute silence and then laid wreaths to honour those killed in war.

From left, UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, former prime minister Liz Truss, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former prime minister Boris Johnson and former prime minister Theresa May attend the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

On Saturday, the annual Armistice Day commemoration marking the end of World War saw more than 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators march through central London, with police arresting more than 120 people as they sought to stop far-right counter protesters from ambushing the main rally.

After opposition politicians blamed Suella Braverman, home secretary, for fuelling tensions in the run-up to the march, Defence Minister Grant Shapps said he would not have used the language she did in an article criticising the police.

But he told the BBC the article had aired concerns over whether the police had acted swiftly enough against protesters who could be accused of chanting antisemitic slogans or carrying “banners with swastikas on them for example”.

“I’m saying I do think it’s very important that the police do act quickly,” he said.