Jail for activists who climb on war memorials

PROTESTERS who climb on war memorials face prison and a £1,000 fine under a crackdown in the wake of proPalestinian demonstrations, ministers will announce this week.

Perpetrators will face three-month sentences and a fine under a legal change that James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, said would punish activists intent on “insulting those who paid the ultimate price for their freedom to protest”. Last November, footage of proPalestinian demonstrators clambering on the Royal Artillery Memorial in London sparked widespread outrage, with Rishi Sunak describing it as an “affront to our Armed Forces”.

However, the incident did not result in arrests. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said that his officers were unable to take action because while it was “unfortunate” and “inflammatory in certain ways”, it was not against the law.

Now, under an amendment due to be introduced to the Criminal Justice Bill, climbing on war memorials will become a specific public order offence in England and Wales.

The change to the law will form part of a wider plan to be unveiled this week aimed at tackling disorder at protests.

Mr Cleverly said: “Recent protests have seen a small minority dedicated to causing damage and insulting those who paid the ultimate price for their freedom to protest. Peaceful protest is fundamental in our county, but climbing on our war memorials is an insult to these monuments of remembrance and cannot continue.”

Yesterday, thousands of protesters descended on London for another proPalestine march. Some were filmed chanting “Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship round” in an apparent show of support for Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

Others were photographed holding signs displaying anti-Semitic tropes, including one claiming that “our media, TV, radio and government are controlled by Zionists”.