Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. Remembrance Day is a big deal, with poppies being a tradition that goes back many years. Pro-Hamas forces planned a major demonstration for today, and there was some talk of banning it out of respect for Remembrance Day. But that didn’t happen, and one of the largest demonstrations in London’s history, estimated between 150,000 and 500,000 protesters, mobbed the city.
A handful of counter-protesters that newspapers dubbed “far right” turned out to oppose the pro-genocide marchers. There were scuffles, and something like 80 people were arrested, the large majority of them “far right.” There were ugly scenes, like when Housing Secretary Michael Gove had to be hustled out of Victoria Station as he was threatened by the pro-Hamas mob.
But in my mind, this scene from Victoria Station sums up even more the significance of recent events. A British couple try to sell poppies in the station, in the midst of a genocidal chant:
Volunteers at Victoria Station in London selling poppies for a veterans charity need protection of the police as Palestinian supporters surround them.
The couple were forced to me. It's a different England, that's for sure. pic.twitter.com/8trjaHks3a
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 11, 2023
You can’t help thinking that you are seeing here the past, and the future, of Britain.
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