THE 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month has marked a moment of quiet reflection in our country since 1919.
It’s time to remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
This weekend Armistice Day falls on Saturday, with the Remembrance ceremony at the Cenotaph on Sunday.
Veterans, travelling on free trains, buses and taxis, will flock into central London to honour the fallen.
At the same time, the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign has chosen 1pm on Saturday for a proposed, 100,000-strong march, the fourth since Israel retaliated against the Hamas massacre on 7 October.
With a number of arrests already made for incitement to hatred or terrorism, reports of anti-semitism and random attacks have soared.
Outrageously, an elderly, veteran poppy seller at Edinburgh station was punched and kicked by demonstrators.
We face a tipping point in this country.
I believe in the right to protest but, as I’ve said, many have already done so.
With emotions running high over Gaza, a march on the predicted scale could easily descend into violence.
My concern is heightened by a report in the Daily Telegraph that three of the six organisers have links to Hamas, suggesting a darker motive for some protesters at least.
So, I find Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s decision not to ban it on the grounds there has to be a realistic “threat of serious disorder” quite extraordinary.
To be fair, he did ask the march organisers to reconsider, but at the time of writing, the march is set to proceed.
Meanwhile, the silence from the London Mayor is deafening.
We cannot allow a time of national remembrance to be hijacked for political purposes.
This march is nothing more than intimidation and has no place in our country.