london is under a one-month ban on the Al-Quds Day march after the Metropolitan Police requested restrictions citing risks of serious public disorder. The decision was approved by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, with officials pointing to the “volatile situation in the Middle East” and the potential for clashes between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators. The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the organiser, says it will switch to a static protest on Sunday and is preparing a legal challenge.
What has been banned, and when it starts
The ban covers Sunday’s planned Al-Quds Day march and any associated counter-protest marches. Police and government statements frame the move as a response to the scale of the expected gatherings and the heightened tensions between different groups.
The restriction begins at 12: 00 PM ET on Wednesday (16: 00 GMT) and remains in force for one month. Authorities stressed that the measure is focused on preventing disorder and that it is not a general prohibition on protest activity, with officials indicating that a stationary demonstration can be managed with strict conditions.
It is also a rare step: the Metropolitan Police said this is the first time powers to ban a protest march have been used since 2012, when authorities stopped marches by the far-right English Defence League.
Why the Metropolitan Police sought the ban
Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, the Metropolitan Police public order lead, said the “threshold to ban a protest is high” and that police did not take the decision lightly, describing it as the first use of this power since 2012.
Adelekan said police believed the march presented “unique risks and challenges, ” including the expected number of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators and “extreme tensions between different factions. ” He also cited the Middle East crisis and concerns raised by security services about Iranian state activity in the UK. The Metropolitan Police said the overall context was “so uniquely complex and the risks are so severe” that conditions on a procession would not be sufficient to prevent potential disorder or violence.
In separate public remarks, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said intelligence assessments and professional judgement indicated protests and counter-protests were “creating such a risk of violence that those marches needed to be banned. ” He also described the Al Quds march as “uniquely contentious, ” stating that its origin in Iran creates “a unique threat and provocation in the UK, ” and emphasized that use of the power is rare.
Immediate reactions: government, city hall, and organisers
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she approved the Metropolitan Police request after determining it was necessary to prevent serious disorder, citing the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. She also said that if a stationary demonstration proceeds, police will be able to apply strict conditions, and she expects enforcement against anyone spreading hatred and division rather than exercising the right to peaceful protest.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said “one of the joys of living in a democracy” is the right to protest, while adding that this move “isn’t diluting or diminishing the rights we have, ” but reflects police concerns about this particular march.
From the organisers, Faisal Bodi of the Islamic Human Rights Commission said a ban would mean a “sad day for freedom of expression. ” The IHRC condemned the decision, said it would challenge it legally, and insisted the event is a peaceful, pro-Palestinian demonstration. The organisation rejected claims that it supports the Iranian government, describing itself as an independent nongovernmental organisation, while also alleging police had “capitulated to the pressure of the Zionist lobby. ”
Quick context on Al-Quds Day
Al-Quds Day is an international annual event held every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, with rallies expressing support for Palestine and opposition to the Israeli occupation of its territories. Iran’s first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, established Al-Quds Day in 1979 shortly after the Islamic revolution, and critics say Iran uses the march to further its political interests.
What’s next in london
Organisers say a static protest will still go ahead on Sunday, while the one-month ban remains in place for march activity and associated counter-protest marches. Officials have signaled that any stationary demonstration can face strict conditions, and the IHRC says it intends to pursue legal action challenging the decision as london moves into a tightly managed weekend of protest planning.
