Organisers of a pro-Palestine protest planned for central London this Saturday have confirmed they will proceed despite strong appeals from the Metropolitan Police and the Home Secretary to delay or cancel the event in light of a recent terrorist attack. The protest group, Defend Our Juries, which opposes the government’s ban on the pro-Palestinian organisation Palestine Action, insists that canceling peaceful demonstrations only serves to embolden terror. They anticipate around 1,500 participants, including a diverse group of priests, vicars, pensioners, and healthcare workers, with potentially hundreds more joining on the day without prior registration.

This planned demonstration, set to take place in Trafalgar Square, comes just days after a deadly attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where two people were killed and others injured. The attacker, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was neutralised by police following the assault. The attack has heightened security concerns and fears within Jewish communities across the UK.

The Metropolitan Police, led by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, expressed deep apprehension that resources are being diverted from protecting vulnerable communities towards policing the protest. The Met warned that if the protest goes ahead as planned, they will mobilise support from police forces across the country to ensure law and order. They stressed that many of the previous protests organised by Defend Our Juries led to mass arrests—over 1,400 people in recent months—for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action. Commissioner Rowley emphasised the challenge police face in balancing community safety with managing demonstrations, calling the timing of the protest "likely to create further tensions" during a sensitive period of national mourning.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, joined calls for the protest’s cancellation, describing the ongoing demonstrations as unhelpful and fundamentally un-British in the wake of the synagogue attack. She voiced disappointment at recent protests near Downing Street that resulted in 40 arrests, including six for assaults on police officers. Ms Mahmood urged protest organisers to consider the wider impact of their actions on community cohesion and public safety.

Defend Our Juries responded by expressing solidarity with the Jewish community and condemning the Manchester attack as terrorism. They criticised what they see as the government’s authoritarian crackdown on peaceful protests, arguing that postponing the march risks conflating the actions of the Israeli state with Jews worldwide, potentially stoking antisemitism. The group insists their protest is about opposing the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action and condemning what they describe as genocide committed by the Israeli government, not about opposing any religious community. They reiterated their commitment to defending democracy, freedom of speech, and the right to protest peacefully.

The upcoming protest is expected to be the largest mass action defying the ban on Palestine Action, with pledges from 1,500 participants to risk arrest by displaying slogans such as "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Organisers and rights advocates have highlighted the scale of arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 since the ban’s introduction earlier this year, noting that critics see the government’s approach as a severe infringement on civil liberties and the right to protest.

Additional security measures will be in place across London for the weekend, including specialist Project Servator officers trained to detect potential threats and armed police ready for rapid deployment, reflecting the heightened sensitivity around public gatherings in the current climate. Police continue to work closely with event organisers to ensure security arrangements are robust.

This protest and the government’s response illuminate the ongoing tensions surrounding the contentious issue of Palestine Action and the UK’s measures to suppress it, set against a backdrop of recent violence that has intensified societal divisions. The situation remains fluid, with protests likely to continue even as authorities seek to maintain public order and community safety.

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Source: Noah Wire Services