UK home secretary bans al-Quds march in London after Met Police request 

The United Kingdom has banned this year’s Al-Quds Day march in London, an event which has taken place for 40 years, with the government citing public disorder risks linked to the “volatile situation in the Middle East” and potential clashes between rival protesters.

It is the first time a protest march has been banned since 2012, when authorities prevented marches by the far-right English Defence League.

The Metropolitan Police sought the Al-Quds Day ban, which was approved by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which organises the demonstration, condemned the decision and said it would challenge it legally.

It said a static protest would still go ahead on Sunday.

The group claimed the police had “capitulated to the pressure of the Zionist lobby” and rejected accusations that it supports the Iranian government, saying it is an independent nongovernmental organisation.

The ban will begin at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday and last for one month. It applies to Sunday’s planned Al-Quds march and associated counterprotests.

Al-Quds Day is an international annual event held every year on the last Friday of Ramadan, in which rallies are held to express support for Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation of its territories.

Iran’s first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, established Al-Quds Day in 1979 shortly after the Islamic revolution.

Iran’s critics claim it uses the march to further its political interests.

Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, the Met’s public order lead, said, “The threshold to ban a protest is high, and we do not take this decision lightly; this is the first time we have used this power since 2012.”

Adelekan said police believed the march presents “unique risks and challenges”, pointing to the expected number of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators and the “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 Met said the context was “so uniquely complex and the risks are so severe” that imposing conditions on the procession would not be sufficient to prevent potential disorder or violence.

Mahmood said she approved the ban after determining it was necessary to prevent serious disorder.

While the march has been banned, police said they do not have the legal power to prohibit a static assembly. Officers will impose strict conditions on any stationary protest.

Authorities warned that anyone attempting to organise or join a banned march could face arrest, adding that policing operations in central London would be stepped up over the weekend.