The Home Secretary has agreed to ban an Iran-linked march in central London, but a “static” protest is set to go ahead.
On her decision to ban the march, Shabana Mahmood said she was “satisfied doing so is 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”.
It is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012.
Labour MPs had asked the Home Secretary to ban the Al Quds Day march, claiming it is “a hate march” which platforms anti-semitism and extremism.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also asked for the march to be banned because of a “real risk of serious violence and disorder”.
A pro-Iranian regime protest outside the US embassy in south London
PA Wire
Police chiefs believe the demonstration could potentially attract 12,000 people or more.
At least a thousand officers from the Metropolitan Police and forces around the country are being drafted in to patrol the crowds, with more made available if needed.
For the first time, the Met will use the Thames as a physical barrier to separate protesters.
All protests and counter-protests will take place between Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges, and are permitted between 1pm and 3pm, the Met said.
Counter protesters can assemble on the Millbank side of the Thames. Lambeth Bridge will be closed, with access only for emergency vehicles.
For more than a decade, the event has riled tensions between political groups, politicians and protesters in the capital, with many calling for a ban.
The Al Quds protest in March last year
Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
It comes as the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel rages across the Middle East.
Here is everything we know about the event:
When was the event meant to take place?
Thousands of protesters had planned to gather outside the Home Office before marching through central London.
Is a protest still going ahead?
IHRC have said that a “static protest” will go ahead on Sunday.
The group said in an Instagram story: “IHRC strongly condemns the decision by the Metropolitan Police to ban the Al Quds Day March.
“However a static Al Quds Day protest will still go ahead,” organisers wrote, adding: “We hope to see you on Sunday 15th March InshaAllah.”
Lord Walney said there was a “loophole” in legislation that restricts ministers from stopping rallies that remain in one location.
The former independent adviser on political violence told the Press Association: “It was the right decision to ban this due to the risk of serious disorder, but it’s not clear how that risk would be substantially lessened if they go ahead with a static protest.
“It is a loophole, and given the volatility of the situation which is already spilling over to British streets, I hope this is an issue that the Home Secretary will look at urgently.”
“So this does highlight the loophole in our public order legislation, which is well-intentioned due to the freedom of assembly.
“But that freedom is not absolute, and in exceptional cases like this, it makes sense for the police to be able to recommend that a large, static protest doesn’t go ahead either.
“It is a loophole, and given the volatility of the situation which is already spilling over to British streets, I hope this is an issue that the Home Secretary will look at urgently.”
Following the ban, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Should a stationary demonstration proceed, the police will be able to apply strict conditions.
“I expect to see the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division instead of exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
Have there been problems at previous rallies?
Yes, and there has always been a high police presence at the annual event.
It is feared that this year could be the biggest risk yet given the ongoing conflict.
Previous editions of the event have seen protesters carrying flags of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group and shout chants such as, “Death to Israel. Death to America.”
Who called for the rally to be cancelled?
Labour MPs joined efforts to have the protest called off.
Lord Austin of Dudley, a former Labour MP, told The Times: “It is outrageous that supporters of Iran’s terror regime are allowed to march on Britain’s streets calling for the destruction of western democracy. I’m all for freedom of speech but this is a hate march by fans of an theocratic Islamist dictatorship that recently slaughtered 36,000 of its own citizens who dared to come out and protest against it.”
“Our police forces and the home secretary should exercise their powers and take decisive action to stop these marches from going ahead. Anyone who joins these marches and is not a British citizen should be deported immediately.”
Labour MP for North Durham Luke Akehurst said: “It’s completely inappropriate for supporters of the Iranian regime to be allowed to march through London while British forces are under attack from Iran, and risks serious public disorder.”
What have the event organisers said?
The IHRC has also been approached for comment, but in a statement online said: “The Al-Quds Day march and rally held in the UK for nearly 40 years, is a non-confessional, family oriented event that calls for justice for Palestinians. It is led by Muslim, Christian and Jewish organisations. Sadly it has been routinely demonised and targeted by Israel first politicians and media, often in totally untruthful ways.”
The group added: “Any ban on Al-Quds Day would destroy any remaining credibility that the UK has. When the world, including the vast majority of British people, are clamouring for justice for Palestine, it is perhaps best that the British government serve their interests, rather than that of a genocidal state currently unleashing further violence on Iran and Lebanon as well as Gaza.”
In a statement, the Met said: “The decision to ban it this year is purely based on a risk assessment of this specific protest and counter-protests – we do not police taste or decency or prefer one political view over another, but we will do everything we can to reduce violence and disorder.”
The force said the “uniquely complex” international situation and “severe” risks meant that putting restrictions on the protest “will not be sufficient to prevent it from resulting in serious public disorder”.
It added that it would out “strict conditions” on any static protest, which cannot be banned by the police or the government, but “given the tensions, we have to accept that confrontations could still take place”.
