Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has approved a Metropolitan Police request to ban the annual al-Quds Day march in London, scheduled for Sunday, citing risks of serious public disorder. The decision marks the first time a protest march has been banned in the UK since 2012.
Mahmood stated the ban was necessary due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests in the context of the ongoing Middle East conflict. She added that a stationary demonstration could proceed under strict conditions, with police applying the full force of the law against any hate speech or disorder.
The al-Quds Day march, organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), has faced criticism for apparent support of the Iranian regime and Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist group in the UK. Previous marches have led to arrests for supporting terrorist organizations and antisemitic hate crimes.
The Metropolitan Police said the ban was based on a risk assessment of this specific protest and counter-protests, noting that merely placing conditions would not prevent serious public disorder. The force will impose strict conditions on any static protest, though confrontations remain possible given tensions.
The IHRC condemned the ban as politically motivated and lacking evidence, confirming a legal static protest will go ahead. The group has previously expressed support for Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing him as a role model.
