The annual pro-Palestinian al-Quds Day march in London, scheduled to take place on Sunday, has been banned by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood following warnings from the Metropolitan Police about the risk of “serious public disorder.”
The demonstration, held for more than 40 years in support of Palestinian rights and opposition to Israel, has attracted controversy in recent years. Some participants in past marches have waved the flag of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group banned in the UK, and chants against Israel and the U.S. have been reported.
Announcing the decision, Mahmood said the ban was “necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”.
She added that if a stationary protest were to go ahead, police would impose strict conditions and take action against anyone spreading hatred or division rather than exercising their right to protest peacefully.
The march is organised by the UK al-Quds Committee, with the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) playing a central role.
The group has insisted the demonstration is peaceful and condemned the ban as “a politically charged decision” and “an attack on freedom of expression”.
The IHRC said it is seeking legal advice and confirmed that a static protest could still legally take place on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Police said the decision followed a risk assessment of both the planned protest and potential counter-protests.
A spokesperson said: “The threshold to ban a protest is high and we do not take this decision lightly. The uniquely complex international situation and severe risks meant merely placing conditions on the protest would not have been sufficient to prevent serious public disorder.”
Calls to ban the march intensified after comments from Courts Minister Sarah Sackman, who said supporters of Iran’s regime and its proxies “have no place in our society” and should not be “calling for hate and hostility against this country.”
Previous al-Quds Day marches have been largely peaceful, though there have been isolated incidents.
In 2017, Darren Osborne, later convicted of terrorism, attempted to target attendees but was prevented by police safety cordons. He subsequently attacked worshippers outside Finsbury Park Mosque, killing one person and injuring 12 others.
The ban marks the first time a protest march has been prohibited in London since 2012.
While the IHRC and its supporters have criticised the move as an infringement of civil liberties, the Home Office and police maintain it is a necessary measure to protect public safety during a tense and highly charged political climate.
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are progressing and suggested an agreement with Iran could be reached “...
The UK government announced a new package of sanctions on Thursday (6 August) aimed at disrupting Russia's financial sector and oil exports, expanding...
Three students and three teachers have been killed in a school shooting in Thailand, with at least 15 injured and two in critical condition, according...
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, two key maritime chokepoints in the region, decreased significantly from the previous day, according to shipping data.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 6th of August, covering the latest developments.
Kazakhstan’s main oil export corridor was disrupted by drone strikes near Russia’s Black Sea coast in July, forcing a temporary suspension of crude loadings and raising fresh concerns over the vulnerability of regional energy infrastructure to the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the country's ambassadors to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and several other countries. The removals came after a speech on Monday in which he said embassies would be judged on their effectiveness in securing weapons for Ukraine.
Three students and three teachers have been killed in a school shooting in Thailand, with at least 15 injured and two in critical condition, according to Royal Thai Police.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 7th of August, covering the latest developments.
A U.S. judge has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million over claims that its platforms failed to protect children from online harm.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at narrowing access to birthright citizenship, reviving one of the central pledges of his immigration agenda despite a recent setback in the Supreme Court.
Mexican authorities are working to restore U.S. avocado export inspections after Washington suspended operations in the western state of Michoacán over security concerns.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment