UK: Met police U-turn on pro-Palestine march restrictions following backlash

The UK's Metropolitan Police have backtracked on restrictions imposed on a 7 September pro-Palestine march set to be held in central London following backlash from activists and organisers.

A spokesperson from the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) told The New Arab that the Met police informed them early on Friday that they were "re-evaluating the conditions imposed".

"The continuous obstacles and restrictions from the police on our march to the Israeli embassy clearly show the state's intent to act against those protesting genocide, rather than addressing the genocide itself," the spokesperson said.

"These attempts to stifle our right to challenge state complicity are also a direct attack on free speech and the freedom to protest. Efforts to suppress our voices will only fuel a stronger, growing movement," the spokesperson added.

In a post on X on Friday afternoon, the Met police issued a statement on the subject.

"Due to a change in information, the Met has reviewed and amended public order conditions imposed on a Palestine Solidarity Campaign march taking place this Sunday. A continuous risk assessment takes place in the run-up to any planned march. As part of that assessment any new information which may impact existing plans is reviewed," the police force said. 

Stop the War Coalition (STWC), one of the organisers of protests against the war on Gaza, said the police had backed down from efforts to obstruct the planned national march for Palestine.

"With less than 24 hours to go, the Metropolitan police has dropped its attempt to frustrate our national march for Palestine," STWC said in a statement.

"Tomorrow we will march to the Israeli embassy as planned. Following a week of arguments and attempts to bully and intimidate the demonstration organisers, the police have now agreed that protesters can assemble from 12 noon, at Regent Street St James’ as we originally intended," it added.

The organisation said they had felt that previous conditions imposed on the protest were a "wholly unjustified" attempt to prevent them from going ahead with it.

They also said that the conditions had caused serious disruption to their organising efforts, but called the U-turn on them a "major victory in defence of the democratic right to protest".

Organisers of the march had raised concerns that the Met police were intentionally disrupting the protest by imposing last-minute restrictions.

The protest, set to take place on 7 September, is one of many that have taken place in the capital city since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October and is attended by tens of thousands of people from across the UK.

Restrictions on protest

In a press conference held at Westminster on Thursday afternoon the Met police announced conditions for the march, citing public safety concerns.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the decisions came following meetings he had with businesses, transport bosses and faith leaders about the impact a pro-Palestine march had.

Officers had delayed the start time of the march, not allowing it to commence any time before 14:30, and said that it must conclude by 18:00.

Adelekan added the changes were "necessary to balance the wider impact to those who live, work and visit London".

Some reports also state that police had told organisers that participants could be arrested if they marched before 14:30.

The organisers had planned 17 marches previously, all of which started at 13:00, with people assembling from noon, without issue.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of the organisers of the march, said the restrictions were imposed "without explanation or rationale” and that it would cause "major" travel disruption to thousands of protesters who come from around the UK to attend.

The director of the organisation, Ben Jamal, urged them to rethink the conditions set.

"As they have publicly acknowledged, the marches have been overwhelmingly peaceful with no threat of major public disorder," he said.

"To make changes to the start time seems to us to be a tactic designed to deter people from attending," he added.

Other organisers of the march, including Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA) condemned the restrictions, calling it an infringement on people’s democratic rights.

"The last-minute disruption of these plans, without any clear rationale, raises serious questions about the police’s respect for our democratic rights," STWC previously said in a statement.

"Since notifying the police of our intentions on 8 August, we have faced a series of delays, obstacles and uncooperative behaviour," the organisation added, noting that meetings have been cancelled without notice.

The organisation also said they proposed a reasonable solution to the concerns, suggesting an alternative route to the Israeli embassy, but were "dismissed outright".

The Met has previously been criticised over its handling of pro-Palestine protests, with some ministers calling for a tougher line on protesters expressing certain views.

Previous reports state that the police planned to position Arabic-speaking officers at the march, to see if specific phrases break the law.

Police have also issued guidance which warned protesters against using certain words or images on any placards or signs.

The protests come as the death toll in Gaza has reached 40,861 people since October, with some 94,398 wounded in the same time frame. At least 10,000 others are believed to be trapped under the rubble, while thousands of others are missing.

Almost 11 months of war on the besieged enclave has ravaged the strip, destroying its infrastructure and plunging Gaza into a deep humanitarian crisis.