NO RESPECT
I fought for their right to protest but march shouldn’t have gone ahead on Armistice Day, says Falklands hero
Former Royal Marine Jeff Williams explains why Remembrance events are sacred to so many servicemen and women
AS Big Ben solemnly tolled, Sergeant Major Jeff Williams stood on the “sacred ground” at the Cenotaph to remember his fallen comrades.
The former Royal Marine’s face showed no emotion yet his mind raced with memories of close friend and comrade Gareth Wheddon, who died for his country aged just 19.
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Jeff’s stoic dignity was typical among the massed ranks of veterans — but just over a mile away a very different gathering was brewing in Hyde Park.
With calls to cancel their march for Palestine on Armistice Day going unheeded, soon a massed column of flag-waving, whistle-blowing and chanting protesters was snaking through London.
Watching on, Falklands veteran Jeff, 66, told me: “We fought for their right to protest and they have every right to do so but on this precious day it just feels wrong.
“There’s a feeling among those in the military that we’ve been let down.”
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Grandfather-of-six Jeff strolled from the Cenotaph to Hyde Park Corner to witness the start of the march.
There were loud chants of “Israel is a terror state”, “Ceasefire now” and the controversial call-to-arms “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Some carried banners reading Free Palestine and Gaza: Stop the Massacre, many waved flags in the Palestinian colours of red, white, green and black.
Others clutched effigies of dead babies.
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Jeff, from Birmingham, said: “The atmosphere is peaceful and the crowd is full of people of all races and ages.
“They are clearly marching for their cause and I have nothing but respect for that.
“But the decision to go ahead on Armistice Day has made the whole day feel uneasy.
“At the Cenotaph, my military training kicked in — I was looking around to see if anyone was causing problems.”
And ahead of the two-minute silence, trouble was brewing.
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Right-wing protesters draped in Union Jacks attempted to storm the event, breaking down barriers and throwing missiles at police.
More than 100 arrests were reported throughout the day.
The group shouted “You’re a disgrace” and “You’re not English anymore” at officers, while others shouted “F****** traitors”.
Jeff bristled as the chants carried across Whitehall.
He asked: “Where’s the respect? These people think that they are patriots and yet they are shouting over an event for people who have fought for their country.
“It takes away from it all — now people will be talking about the unrest on what should be a special day.”
The Cenotaph had been encased in a ring of steel for the service and dozens of officers policed the war monument.
It gave the Armistice Day service — commemorating the end of the First World War — an unusually tense and jumpy atmosphere.
“If I’m honest, it doesn’t feel as respectful as it normally does,” Jeff said. “It feels like a tinderbox, like something could happen.”
There were repeated chants of “England” from far-right protesters as wreaths were laid on the monument. Jeff shook his head sombrely.
Thankfully, the two-minute silence passed unbroken and the mood among the veterans in the crowd turned to one of melancholy.
Jeff bowed his head as he remembered fellow marine Gareth, killed in an IRA booby trap bomb.
His voice wavered when he said: “He was a lovely, happy teenager who will never be forgotten.
“We’d been speaking just two minutes before the bomb went off.
“I remember seeing his body — an awful image I’ll never forget.
“I still keep in touch with his mum and speak to lads down in Sussex to make sure that his grave is tended to.
“I think of his face every Remembrance Day. That’s why these moments are so sacred to us. Because of those memories.”
Over in Hyde Park, Jeff watched the pro-Palestine march head towards Grosvenor Place from the Wellington Arch.
He said of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis: “I just hope that one day soon they will be able to live peacefully side-by-side.”
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As we peel off from the protest through side-streets, Jeff spots police attempting to redirect a group of six counter-protesters who swig from beer bottles.
“There’s trouble brewing, you can feel it,” he says. “Some people just want a fight.”
Jeff joined the Royal Marines in 1974 and served for 22 years.
Along with his green beret he wears four medals on his chest — marking his service in Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the Falklands.
He founded the group Veterans United Against Suicide six years ago to help former servicemen and women in need.
Jeff, who has PTSD, said: “There is a real problem with suicide in the veterans community.
“We send men and women to war and when they come back they have these emotional scars — but there’s very limited support.
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“A thing we don’t talk about enough is survivor’s guilt.
“That sticks with many of us. We’ve all lost friends — some of them at such a young age.”
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