Armistice Day silence interrupted by protester

Media caption,

A lone protester had a sign wrestled out of her hands during the two-minutes silence

  • Published

A two-minute silence for Armistice Day has been disrupted by a protester.

The woman shouted shortly after 11:00 GMT at Forbury Gardens in Reading, seemingly about the conflict in Gaza.

A video filmed by a BBC crew shows her holding a placard that a man wrestled out of her hands before she addressed the crowd.

A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council, which organised the event, said it was "saddened that the individual considered this an appropriate time and location to protest".

They said Thames Valley Police was investigating. The BBC has approached the force for comment.

Image caption,

The service at Forbury Gardens was disrupted by a protester

The two-minute silence was led by Reading mayor Glenn Dennis, who has previously described it as an "honour".

On Sunday, there was a parade through the town to mark Remembrance.

It started with a service at Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin and concluded with the laying of poppy wreaths and a two-minute silence at the Forbury War Memorial.

There was also a performance by Ukrainian choir Kryla.

Image caption,

A crowd gathered for the two-minute silence on Monday

The traditional two-minute silence - always held at 11:00 on 11 November - was observed across the UK.

It marks the time and date when the World War One armistice came into effect.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer marked the event in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The pair laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital.

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