The UK government announced Sunday that police will receive stronger powers to limit repeated protests, following nearly 500 arrests at a pro-Palestinian demonstration linked to a banned organization.
The Home Office said authorities will now be able to consider the “cumulative impact of frequent protests” on local communities when setting conditions for marches and rallies.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood emphasized that while the right to protest is fundamental, it must be balanced against residents’ safety. “Large, repeated protests can leave sections of our country, particularly religious communities, feeling unsafe, intimidated and scared to leave their homes,” she said.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been frequent since Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has claimed more than 67,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry under Hamas. While mostly peaceful, some protests have been criticized for spreading antisemitism. Certain chants, including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” have alarmed members of the Jewish community. A few protesters have been arrested for supporting Hamas, which is banned in the UK.
Authorities had urged the public to avoid gatherings following Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in Manchester that killed two Jewish men. Despite this, about 1,000 people gathered Saturday in Trafalgar Square to protest the government’s ban on Palestine Action, a direct-action group labeled a terrorist organization.
Police said 488 people were arrested for supporting the outlawed group, with additional arrests for other offenses. Since July, more than 2,000 people have been detained at protests linked to Palestine Action, and over 130 face terrorism-related charges.
The conflict in Gaza stems from Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. On Saturday, Hamas indicated it was willing to return remaining hostages and the bodies of the dead under a US-brokered peace plan proposed by President Donald Trump.