Two people have been arrested after allegedly shouting slogans calling for “intifada” during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London, police have confirmed. The arrests were made outside the Ministry of Justice in Westminster on Wednesday evening, bringing the total number of detainees at the protest to five, with others held for obstruction and public order offences.
The detentions came hours after the chiefs of the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced a change in approach, stating that officers would now arrest anyone chanting “globalise the intifada” or carrying placards with the phrase. In a joint statement, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said the decision was driven by recent violent attacks against Jewish people, including incidents in Manchester and Sydney, which had escalated the threat context.
The police chiefs acknowledged that the Crown Prosecution Service had previously advised that many phrases causing fear in Jewish communities did not meet prosecution thresholds. However, they emphasised that “words have meaning and consequence” and that officers would now act decisively. “It is possible to protest in support of Palestinian people without intimidating Jewish communities or breaking the law,” they added.
The change has drawn mixed reactions. Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has organised many of the protests, condemned the move as “political repression” and argued that uttering the word “intifada” was not a call for violence. Meanwhile, the Community Security Trust, which works to protect Jewish people in Britain, welcomed the arrests as “a necessary and important first step” against violent incitement.
The term “intifada” literally means uprising or resistance and has been used by Palestinians to describe uprisings against Israel. Jewish groups in the UK say chants of intifada are perceived as calling for violence against them, and it may ultimately fall to magistrates and juries to decide what constitutes a criminal offence.
