My Grandfather Fought To Defeat Nazism – But Now British Police Are Allowing Antisemites to Protest On Remembrance Weekend

A pro-Palestine march aiming to bring together one million people demanding a ceasefire is set to take place during Remembrance Weekend in London, understandably generating outrage up and down the country.

While Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has condemned the protest on Armistice Day as disrespectful, and Suella Braverman has labelled them “hate marches,” the fact that they have been given the green light to go ahead is the ultimate affront to those who fought and died to defend freedom and democracy. It is an affront not only to those who sacrificed their lives for us, but for the many of us who remember and honour them.

Crucially, it is a telling sign of just how many people in this country openly disrespect this nation. 

Remembrance Weekend is not a political weekend. All people, irrespective of background, ethnicity, religion and social standing, honour Remembrance Month because we acknowledge that the freedom to believe, the freedom to be who you are, and the freedom to speak your mind is a freedom that was hard-won by the blood and sweat of those who came before us. Young, old, black, white, religious, atheist – the one unquestionable thing we share in common is that each of us owes our freedom to the generations who lived through two World Wars, who we remember, especially in November.

This is why it is utterly outrageous that there are people in this country who are dishonouring this weekend by injecting their own politics into it. Each person intending to march is telling us in no uncertain terms that their political views mean more to them than the sacrifice that was made for them.

We have witnessed an unbelievable degree of political explosion in this country for the last couple of weeks since the terrorist organisation Hamas massacred hundreds of Israelis and launched an attack on Israel. We have seen truly sinister movements emerging in Britain. Antisemitism is on the rise, with a reported 300% increase in the UK since the conflict began. Jewish schools have temporarily closed for fear that Jewish children will be attacked. Jewish restaurants have been targeted. Israel has warned its citizens not to travel with Israeli or Jewish emblems due to the risk of antisemitic attack.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people march on our streets, and a good number of them have no qualms about exposing their antisemitic beliefs. We have seen extremists in London during pro-Palestine rallies calling for ‘jihad’, only for the Metropolitan Police to conclude that there was no threat. 

Really? Calls for jihad are not classed as a threat?

Thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against Israel.

We have seen people marching with terrorist symbols on their clothing. We have seen people openly celebrating attacks on Israelis, dancing on the streets of the capital.

Then there is social media. As someone who frequents social media daily, I have been horrified to see antisemitism oozing out from all corners of the world. Comments calling for death of the Jews. Countless laughing emojis underneath images of dead Israelis.

How ironic that this should come at a time when we honour those who fought against this very thing. For Britain, whose people fought the Nazis, it fills us with shock and disgust. The world said “Never again,” and yet the rapid rise of antisemitism we are witnessing flies in the face of this promise. 

My Great-Uncle was a Desert Rat Tank Commander in World War II. He fought General Rommel in North Africa. It was the Desert Rats who helped prevent the spread of the Holocaust to Palestine where Hitler had intended a massacre of Jews in the region.

My Grandfather, a Royal Engineer, was sent to Europe with his two brothers. They built bridges and blew them up to stop the Nazis from crossing.

They, along with millions of others, made the ultimate sacrifice for those who are fortunate to be alive today. The Nazis were the very worst antisemites the world had seen. The atrocities they committed are of such horror that few of us today could barely comprehend it. What would the brave men and women of WWII think if they could see what is happening right now?

There is precious little difference between Hamas and the Nazis. The Hamas Charter has a very clear aim – destroy the state of Israel and kill all the Jews. Both are extremists and not afraid to commit the most horrific and barbaric acts to achieve their goal.

For anyone who doubts the intentions of Hamas, just look at the rise of antisemitism here in Britain and across the globe. This is a direct result of Hamas’ actions and influence. We have seen Muslim extremists in this country tearing down posters of missing Israeli children kidnapped by terrorists. 

We have, shockingly, seen our own London Met officers pulling down the posters too because they don’t wish to inflame tensions. We have watched as they do nothing while extremists call for jihad, yet they have ordered a Jewish charity to take down billboards of kidnapped Israeli children, claiming it to be a “breach of peace.”

Sir Winston Churchill once said “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

Perhaps the London Met would like to take note.

A ceasefire would mean a victory for Hamas – an Islamist terrorist organisation. If Israel laid down its arms, it would be obliterated. If Hamas were defeated, the region can finally seek the peace it has been striving for.

How can anyone call for a ceasefire when the bloodthirsty wolf is on your doorstep?  

For these marches to take place during Remembrance Month is a spit in the face to this country. But more importantly, it has exposed some hidden truths to the public. We can see just how many people in this country openly disrespect Britain and our customs. We can see how deep the roots of antisemitism go. We can see the shameless audacity of those who call for a boycott of our two minute silence of Remembrance. Dilly Hussain, the Deputy Editor of 5 Pillars UK, called for the boycott, claiming, “There will be a resounding rejection of this silence this year, and for many years to come.”

Judging by the masses of poppies and Remembrance displays up and down the country, Hussain may well be on his own there. It is extraordinary that he justifies this ridiculous call for a boycott with claims of how the British defeated the Ottoman Empire which eventually led to the State of Israel, while failing to realise that many Muslims celebrate Remembrance Day as they, too, honour those who fought with the Allied Forces during two world wars. 

We can now see what years of failed government and weak policing has resulted in – all of it on display during these marches. 

While previous generations fought against one of the most evil regimes the world ever saw, we have our own battles to fight. We are witnessing open disrespect and dishonour in our nation from those who fail to acknowledge the sacrifice made by generations before us. We are seeing a chilling rise in antisemitism. We witness, time and again, the weakness and ineffectiveness of our own authorities whom we voted in and who appear to have little control over the masses.

This is not a fight divided by skin colour or ethnic background. This is certainly not a fight of “White people VS Non-White people”. This is the mentality that Nazi Germany espoused which we do not. People of all different skin colours, ethnic backgrounds, religions and beliefs who reside here love this country and can proudly call themselves British or call Britain their home.

We are dealing with hordes of people who have no love for Britain, no respect for Britain and will even go so far as to trash our Remembrance Weekend. It is time for the people of Britain, of all backgrounds, to stand together and say no to this ongoing insidious attempt to harm our country. At the very least, we owe it to the brave men and women who came before us. We must stand up and defend the country and values many of them died to protect.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.