Anti-Israel thugs who defile Britain’s memorials should face immediate deportation, a celebrated war hero has told Express.co.uk.
Colonel Tim Collins, who is best known for his role in the Iraq War including his rousing eve-of-battle speech, defended the “democratic right of people to march in protest”.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he added: “I think they should take into consideration that the remembrance is remembering the people who won them the rights to exercise that.”
Asked what he thought of Remembrance Day protests from pro-Palestinian groups potentially leading to the desecration of our nation’s war memorials, the veteran made the case for the strictest punishment.
Colonel Collins, who received an OBE for his service in Iraq, argued that those befouling sites with leave to remain in the UK should have their visa privileges revoked and anyone here without permission should face immediate deportation.
He said: “People who misbehave should face the consequences of the law.
“So for people who are here in the country with permission to stay, that should be withdrawn because they’re not behaving an appropriate way.
“And people who are not from this country should be deported until they can never come back.
“And then they will understand that there are certain rights and privileges in this country which you enjoy – provided you behave yourself.”
Colonel Collins’s intervention comes after the Prime Minister shared fears that important sites could be defiled during a planned “Million March for Palestine” protest this weekend which coincides with Armistice Day on November 11.
In a statement on Friday, Rishi Sunak said: “To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for.
“The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms must be protected.
“I have asked the Home Secretary to support the Met Police in doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.”
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Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she agreed with Mr Sunak.
She added: “It is entirely unacceptable to desecrate Armistice Day with a hate march through London.
“If it goes ahead there is an obvious risk of serious public disorder, violence and damage as well as giving offence to millions of decent British people.
“I have full confidence in the Metropolitan Police to ensure public safety and take all factors into account as they have done in similar situations in the past.”
Meanwhile, immigration minister Robert Jenrick described Armistice Day as “sacrosanct”.
He said: “These disrespectful and often hate-filled marches, routinely intimidating our fellow citizens, must not be permitted to demean our national moments of remembrance.”
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