The UK's Home Secretary has approved the Metropolitan Police's ban on the upcoming annual Al Quds march and any associated counter-protest marches on account of elevated risk and potential for terror support.
The Al Quds Day Rally is set to take place on Sunday, March 15, during Ramadan. The rally is a well-known part of an international day of demonstrations established in 1979 by then-Islamic supreme leader Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini with the aim of mobilizing opposition to Israel and expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
It is organized by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a group believed to have extensive ties to the Islamic regime in Iran and Iranian-backed extremism.
Following Shabana Mahmood's approval, the Metropolitan Police announced that a ban will be in place from 16:00 hrs on Wednesday, 11 March and last one month.
The threshold for banning a protest is high, and the Met said it did not take the decision lightly; this is the first time it has used this power since 2012.
Free speech, right to protest protected in UK law
Free speech and the right to protest are protected in UK law, and the Met has, until now, policed hundreds of protests from across the political spectrum, including 32 major pro-Palestinian protests and both pro and anti the Iranian regime.
However, the Met assessed that this march poses unique risks and challenges. It also took into account the likely large numbers of protestors and counter-protestors converging, the extreme tensions between different factions, and the volatile situation in the Middle East.
The Met also said it took into consideration the security services' warnings of the threat from the Iranian regime to UK soil.
In the last year, MI5 and Counter Terrorism Policing have foiled over 20 Iranian state-backed attacks on the UK.
Last week counter-terrorism officers also arrested four people under the National Security Act after they allegedly spied on Jewish communities for the Iranian regime and, separately, at the weekend a man was reportedly stabbed by someone who had opposing views on the Iranian regime.
Previous Al Quds marches have resulted in arrests for supporting terrorist organizations and antisemitic hate crimes.
There is no law or power to ban a static assembly, which is different from a moving protest march. However, given concerns about serious disorder, the Met will impose strict conditions on any static assembly.
Following the announcement of the ban, the IHRC said it will proceed with a static Al Quds Day protest instead.
It also announced it is seeking legal advice and that the decision to ban will be challenged.
"If it was not clear already, the police have brazenly abandoned their sworn principle of policing without fear or favour, and have capitulated to the pressure of the Zionist lobby," the IHRC statement read. "The Metropolitan Police unashamedly regurgitate Zionist talking points about IHRC without a shred of evidence. They cannot present evidence because there is none – we are an independent NGO. In essence, this is a politically charged decision; not one taken for the security of the people of London."