Pro-Palestine organizations in the United Kingdom have planned counterprotests to coincide with Armistice Day on Wednesday.
Armistice Day, observed annually on November 11, marks the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany that brought fighting on the Western Front during World War I to an end.
The ceasefire took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The date has since become an occasion for the UK and other countries to remember members of the armed forces who died in military conflicts.
In the UK, two minutes of silence are traditionally observed at 11 a.m. on November 11.
The country also marks Remembrance Sunday, held on the Sunday closest to Armistice Day, when commemorative services take place at war memorials across the country.
Pro-Palestine groups call Armistice Day 'annual ritual of selective memory'
Despite the significance of the event across the country, Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), Didsbury for Palestine, Stand With Palestine, and Oldham Peace & Justice have planned several "Hands of Palestine" events for November 11 under the slogan "True remembrance means demanding justice today."
The groups referred to Armistice Day as an "annual ritual of selective memory" and said it refuses "to let memory be co-opted while state-sanctioned violence."
"We do not stand in quiet compliance. We stand to demand an end to genocide, apartheid, and British state complicity."
The gathering will focus on showing support for pro-Palestine liberation, an immediate arms embargo, and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
They encouraged participants to bring flags, keffiyehs, and placards, and encouraged passing drivers to honk in solidarity.
The Westminster branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, while not directly protesting Armistice Day, has planned a protest in favor of the Zionism is Racism motion outside the offices of Tory-run Westminster City Council on Wednesday.
Poppy pin in Palestine colors raises ire ahead of Remembrance Sunday
Pro-Palestine groups have also received significant criticism for choosing to sell Palestine-flag colored versions of Britain's red poppy pin ahead of Remembrance Sunday (November 8) and Remembrance Day (November 11).
The pin mimics the original poppy pin shape but with red, black, white, and green. It was created by British-Pakistani NHS pediatrician Dr. Abdul Qader Ismail, and is being sold for £1.78 on eBay, with profits donated to Palestinian organizations, such as Friends of Al-Aqsa.
Retired Lt.-Col. Stuart Crawford, a British Army veteran and defense analyst, told GB News, “The so-called ‘Palestine Poppy’ is about as far away from remembrance as it’s possible to be. It is unashamedly political, designed to divide rather than unite.”
The charity Royal British Legion historically sells over 30 million paper poppies and badges annually, raising funds to support veterans, serving military personnel, and their families. The Royal British Legion was established in 1921 to support members of the British Armed Forces community.
100% of the profits from every single purchase made at the Poppy Shop go directly to the Royal British Legion's work.
The remembrance poppy design and the specific poppy pins are registered trademarks.