The UK government has announced plans to give police new powers to restrict repeated protests in the same location, following pro-Palestinian demonstrations that went ahead despite requests to cancel them after a deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue.
The British government said on Sunday that police will soon have greater authority to restrict repeat protests in the same place, amid growing tension over pro-Palestinian demonstrations held across the country.
The Home Office said the move will allow senior officers to consider the “cumulative impact” of ongoing protests on local communities, particularly when they cause distress or disruption.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the right to protest “is a fundamental freedom,” but added that it must be balanced with the rights of others to feel safe in their neighbourhoods.
“Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes,” Mahmood said, highlighting concerns from Jewish communities after recent attacks.
On Saturday, police arrested almost 500 people in central London during a protest in support of Palestine Action, a group that was banned in July after members broke into an air base and damaged military planes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had urged organisers to call off the demonstration following the killing of two people at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for Jews.
Police shot dead the assailant, a British man of Syrian descent who officials said may have been inspired by extremist Islamist ideology.
The group behind Saturday's protest said the plans for more powers to limit demonstrations represented "a dangerous, authoritarian escalation" in a crackdown on free speech.
"We are announcing a major escalation ... and we urge all of our supporters to sign up to show we will not stand by as our fundamental rights are stripped away," a spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed the government's announcement but said more action was needed to protect the Jewish community.
Mahmood is also due to review the police's existing powers to ensure they are sufficient and consistently applied, including powers to ban protests outright, the interior ministry said in a statement.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest peace proposal, which was delivered to Wash...
Azerbaijan won nine medals at the 2026 President Cup international regatta, held in Mingachevir and dedicated to Azerbaijan’s former presiden...
Preparations for Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Kazakhstan were a central focus of talks in Astana between President Kassym-Jomart Tokaye...
An international youth forum titled “Strengthening the Role of Youth in the Postcolonial Era” opened in Baku on 1 May, bringing togethe...
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, has hosted the International Carpet Festival for the second time, with this year’s event opening with discu...
Azerbaijan won nine medals at the 2026 President Cup international regatta, held in Mingachevir and dedicated to Azerbaijan’s former president and national leader, Heydar Aliyev.
Preparations for Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Kazakhstan were a central focus of talks in Astana between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
An international youth forum titled “Strengthening the Role of Youth in the Postcolonial Era” opened in Baku on 1 May, bringing together delegates from current and former colonies to discuss decolonisation, self-determination and the role of young people in shaping global governance.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
A report published by Minval Politika has raised new questions over alleged efforts by Luis Moreno Ocampo to shape international pressure against Azerbaijan and influence political dynamics around Armenia.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned “foreigners who commit evil” have no place in the Gulf, outlining a “new phase” for the Strait of Hormuz, while a senior adviser said U.S. blockade efforts would fail and could trigger confrontation.
Shares in Meta Platforms fell sharply in extended trading on Wednesday after the tech giant raised its annual capital spending forecast by billions of dollars.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he was "not satisfied" with Iran's latest peace proposal, which was delivered to Washington via Pakistani mediators on Friday (1 May).
A 45-year-old man has been charged with attempting to kill two Jewish men in London on Wednesday (29 April).
At a moment when the trade relationship between the world’s two largest economies remains deeply strained, senior officials from Beijing and Washington have resumed direct talks.
Hundreds of protesters and emergency services clashed in a remote Northern Territory town overnight following the arrest of a man suspected of abducting and murdering a five-year-old Indigenous girl, police confirmed on Friday.
A fresh Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s vital Black Sea port of Tuapse has sparked a massive fire at the sea terminal, local officials confirmed early on Friday.
U.S. passenger air services to Venezuela resumed on Thursday (30 April), as an American Airlines flight landed in Caracas, restoring a commercial link between the two countries after seven years.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment