Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has approved the Metropolitan Police’s ban on the upcoming annual Al Quds march and any associated counter-protest marches on account of elevated risk and potential for terror support.
“I am satisfied that doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, given the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” Mahmood said on Wednesday. “I expect the full force of the law to be applied to anyone spreading hatred and division instead of exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
The Quds Day march was set to take place on March 15, during Ramadan. It is part of international demonstrations which have taken place annually since 1979, established by then-Islamic supreme leader Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, aimed at mobilizing opposition to Israel and expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
Al Quds Day, often marked on the last Friday in Ramadan, is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a group believed to have extensive ties to the Islamic regime in Iran and Iranian-backed extremism.
Following Mahmood’s approval, the Metropolitan Police announced that the ban would begin on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m., local time, and last one month.
The threshold to be able to ban a protest is high, and the Met said it had not taken the decision lightly; this is actually the first time it has used this power since 2012.
Free speech, right to protest protected in UK law
Free speech and the right to protest are protected under British law, and the Met has, until now, policed hundreds of protests from across the political spectrum, including 32 major pro-Palestinian protests and both pro- and anti-Iranian regime demonstrations.
However, the Met assessed that this march poses unique risks and challenges. It also took into account the likely high numbers of protestors and counter-protestors coming together and the extreme tensions between different factions, as well as the volatile situation in the Middle East.
The London police also said it had taken into consideration the security services’ warnings of the threat from the Iranian regime to the United Kingdom. In the last year, MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing have foiled over 20 Iranian state-backed attacks on the UK.
Last week, counter-terrorism officers also arrested four people under the National Security Act after they allegedly spied on Jewish communities for the Islamic regime. In a separate incident, at the weekend, a man was reportedly stabbed by someone with opposing views on Iran.
Past Al Quds Day marches have featured IHRC members calling for the eradication of Israel, waving Hezbollah flags, and displaying Hamas paraphernalia.
In 2022, protesters carried posters of Qasem Soleimani, the terrorist mastermind of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), along with placards demanding “resistance by any means necessary.”
While there is no law or power to ban a static assembly, which is different from a moving protest march.
Following the announcement of the ban, the IHRC said in a statement that it would proceed with a static Al Quds Day protest instead.
However, given the concerns around serious disorder, the Met will also place strict conditions on any static assembly.
“If it was not clear already, the police have brazenly abandoned their sworn principle of policing without fear or favor, and have capitulated to the pressure of the Zionist lobby,” the IHRC stated.
“The Metropolitan Police unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points about IHRC without a shred of evidence. They cannot present evidence because there is none; we are an independent NGO. In essence, this is a politically charged decision, not one taken for the security of the people of London.”
The IHRC also announced that it is seeking legal advice and will challenge the ban decision.
A cross-party group of over 80 UK members of Parliament pressured the government to secure the ban. Reform UK confirmed that every one of its MPs had signed a letter to the Home Secretary.
The letter noted that “the Government’s foremost duty is the protection of its citizens.”
And added, “With antisemitic incidents at heightened levels and tensions in the Middle East reverberating on our streets, safeguarding the UK’s Jewish community must be paramount. The right to protest is fundamental, but it does not extend to providing a platform for intimidation, extremist propaganda, or the promotion of a regime openly hostile to the West. Iran’s destabilising actions abroad have consequences at home.”
The letter concluded, “This is a pivotal moment to demonstrate resolve against hostile state-linked extremism. Public protection and national security must come first.”