London’s Al-Quds Day march is banned over public disorder fears, with police citing the organiser’s alleged support for Iran’s regime.
LONDON: The UK government has banned an annual pro-Palestinian march planned for Sunday. London police claim the event is organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime”.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood (pic) said late Tuesday she approved the rare police request to prevent “serious public disorder”. She cited the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests within the context of the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“It is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012,” a London Metropolitan Police statement confirmed. A static demonstration will still be permitted.
Mahmood said she was “satisfied” a ban was “necessary”. She added that she expected to see “the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division”.
The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the NGO that organises the annual Al-Quds Day march, strongly condemned the decision. It called the move “politically charged”.
“We are seeking legal advice and this decision will not go unchallenged,” the IHRC stated. It accused the Met of having “brazenly abandoned their sworn principle of policing without fear or favour”.
The group said the London force “unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points about the IHRC without a shred of evidence”. It describes the day as an international demonstration in support of Palestinians.
Met Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the march was “uniquely contentious having originated in Iran”. He claimed the organising group was “supportive of the Iranian regime”.
“The threshold to ban a protest is high and we do not take this decision lightly,” Adelekan noted. He said the police have a proven track record of permitting free speech at major demonstrations.
“But in our assessment this march raises unique risks and challenges,” he explained. The assessment considered high numbers of protesters, extreme tensions between factions, and the volatile Middle East situation.
The ban on the march and any associated counter-protest marches is valid for a month from Wednesday.
